Hokitika beach life

Life is ticking on pretty nicely at the moment. Work has picked up a bit more (downside = less blogging), and we have a steady wee routine going, something I’ve been aching for for ages. I’m really enjoying doing a bit more hand-drawn work – a couple of logos and some illustrations for a magazine in Germany. It’s such a luxury and doesn’t even feel like work sometimes. Pretty lucky.

We spent a week in Hokitika maybe two weeks ago and switched well and truly into beach mode. The West Coast has treated us with an unprecedented stretch of fine weather, so our days were spent outside, and the boys’ noses look like they’ve been sprinkled with cinnamon. Hokitika is the setting of Man Booker Prize winner, The Luminaries, and although it may have been rough and exciting back in 1866, the wide, deserted streets seemed a little less than golden when we rolled into town. Three op-shops (count ’em, THREE), the lovely little cafe and cheesery,  Stella, incredible weather and that beach soon won us over though. We had a wonderful, chilled out week, alternating between our most expensive campground yet and a NZMCA free campsite. Good times.

Our days went pretty much invariably as follows. Thomas and the would boys hang out on the beach in the morning while I sat in the bus and pottered away at whatever work was on, with amazing sea views as inspiration.

After lunch Elliott still sleeps so Otis and I would hang out a bit until he woke up and we’d head out again for some more beach combing. West Coast beaches have the most amazing stones, and we spent hours spotting, picking up, turning over, and pocketting or throwing into the waves, depending on the verdict. We’re ever on the search for Pounamu – New Zealand jade. The advice we’ve been given is that if you think it’s Pounamu, but there are other rocks around that look the same, it’s probably not. Still, we have one likely looking rock to take to someone with knowledge for evaluation. Oh, and a million other beautiful green, pink, peach, bluey, white, orange and grey stones to admire, lick, sort and stack.

Either in the morning or the afternoon, one, the other, or all four of us would traipse to Stella to enjoy a coffee and watch the live bees busy in their hive (a cafe with built in educational entertainment – extra bonus points!)

Tea was eaten with great appetite (all things considered – we do have one fussy eater), and the boys would fall into bed, happy and smelling of salt.