Hokitika is quaint little town on the west coast. It my favorite town I have visited. It is the home of many artisans that specialize traditional crafts, particularly pounamu (greenstone) carvers.
Pounamu is found in the rivers of the area, and in many shops you can watch carvers creating beautiful work. To the Maori, this stone was tapu (sacred). It was used for tools, statues, and jewelery, and as it is a form of jade it is absolutely beautiful. I have been looking for a good souvenir and I found it in Hokitika.
This is a manaia, a figure with the head of a bird, the body of a human, and the tail of a fish. They keep the evil spirits off your back.
the land outside of town is as expected, amazing. This utterly silent lake was the very definition of peace. I felt guilty taking pictures because of the noise of the shutter. So when I backed the car into a tree I really felt like a doofus.
Another beautiful spot
peaceful country
Back on the road.
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