Gibson Quay, Hokitika

Today's the day ................. to go to the museum

There's a great little museum in the small town of Hokitika.

It's housed in quite an impressive building which used to be the Carnegie Library - and for the sum of $5 you can wander through and learn about the history of the town. It's quite an impressive story too because until the 1860s, there wasn't really anything much there at all apart from native woodland and a few maoris. But that was before they found gold in them there hills.

From late 1864 the discovery of payable goldfields up the Hokitika River at Kaniere, to the north at Blue Spur, Stafford and Goldborough and to the south at Ross, brought lots of excited diggers to Hokitika. Eager to make their fortunes, men arrived by sea - either from New Zealand ports or directly from overseas.

On Sept 16th 1867, there were 41 vessels along the wharf at Hokitika in some places three or four deep. By then, the port ranked first in New Zealand in both the number of overseas vessels entered inwards and in the total value of exports (gold).

Today, the wharf is just a peaceful heritage walkway with no sign of the hustle and bustle that it once experienced .......................