Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tours
Wilderness Wings
SCENIC FLIGHTS
( 0800 755 8118;
www.wildernesswings.co.nz
;
Hokitika Airport; flights from $285)
Offers scenic
flights over Hokitika, and further afield to Aoraki (Mt Cook) and the glaciers.
WHITEBAIT FEVER
On even the swiftest of visits to the Coast, you are sure to come across a little
whitebait or two, whether being sold from Womble's back door, in a pattie sand-
wich, in museums, or in tales tall and true. These tiny, transparent fish are the
young of some of NZ's precious native fish, including inanga, kokopu, smelt and
even eels. Strangely enough, they all look and taste the same.
Commanding up to $80 a kilo round these parts (and much more elsewhere),
competition is tough to net the elusive fish. The season runs from August to
November, when riverbanks and fishing stands are busy from Karamea to Haast.
The classic pattie recipe involves little more than an egg, and is accompanied by
a wedge of lemon, although some would say that mint sauce is the best embellish-
ment. The Whitebait!exhibition at Hokitika Museum (
Click here
)
will give you some
idea as to what all the fuss is about.
Festivals & Events
Driftwood & Sand
ART
(
www.driftwoodandsand.co.nz
)
During a week in January, flotsam and jetsam is fashioned
into a surprising array of arty, crafty and daft sculpture on Hokitika beach.
Wildfoods Festival
FOOD
(
www.wildfoods.co.nz
)
Held in early March, this festival attracts thousands of curious and
brave gourmands who eat a whole lot of things they would usually flee from or flick
from their hair. Legendary fun; book early.
Sleeping
Drifting Sands
HOSTEL $
