Hokitika

We are now in Hokitika - the main gateway for New Zealand's west coast runs. The rivers around here are pretty remote - either hike in or helicopter access. Hiked into the Styx yesterday which took almost 2 hours but well worth it with some nice class 5 rapids easing to a class 4 run out. River levels can spike to crazy levels here with weather very changeable so watching the weather forecast and flow charts is key. We're camping outside the town by a cool lake and a pub that opens 4 nights a week, solely to throw parties for the backpacker buses that pass through - so there's plenty of craic and banter to be had...