Hokitika’s Gay Kiwis ?

Last time I was in Hokitika (19 years ago) I arrived about midnight after being delayed at Arthur’s Pass for most of the day. I had to scramble to find a bed for the night and ended up staying in a room above the pub. Today, the pub looks like it has had a refresh but otherwise the town looks similar. I’ve only got a couple of hours this time before my flight back to Christchurch this afternoon.

I check out the glass blowing studio (would like to try that one day), a jade shop (not my thing but impressive) and look at the driftwood Hokitika sign at the beach. With the tourist attractions now ticked off, I settle into a cafe for another cup of tea (peppermint this time). The background music playing in most cafes in NZ seems to be straight out of the 80’s and 90’s. Centrefold by The J Geils Band followed by the Backstreet Boys bops in the background as I relax with my tea.

I decided the check out the National Kiwi Centre as I’ve never seen a live Kiwi before. I arrived just on eel feeding time which was cool to see. These are the biggest freshwater eels on earth. The kids were able to lay down and feed and pat them which was cute. Then it was off to Kiwi feeding. They have 2 kiwi birds here, which were supposed to be a breeding pair. Thats until said birds turned out to be two males. Gay Kiwis perhaps?

I was the only one watching them feed so got to chat with the handler for a bit. They release the birds to the wild once they find a suitable territory for the males that has available females. While both birds ate some of the meal, they were both more interesting in digging for worms than the food given to them. I watched them do their thing for about 20mins. Very mindful. Very demure. Alas no photos allowed but I was given a physical photo when I left. Cute.

With a successful dose of Kiwi viewing, it was time to farewell Hokitika and walk to the airport. Passed the Catholic Church on my walk with was deemed ‘earthquake prone’ with a sign advising not to go in or near. Seems appropriate. A half an hour walk through the burbs and I was chilling at the airport, ready to begin my journey back home.Read more