Anold-time charmer
Collingwoodis justaweebliponthemap, writesAmyRidout. Butonavisit to GoldenBayitwouldbeashamenottostopandtake inwhatthetownhas to offer.
Rain clouds are gathering on the digital horizon of the MetService app when we arrive in Collingwood on a Friday afternoon. Wet weather is coming, plenty of it. But for a few hours at least, the sun is shining on the small Golden Bay town at the mouth of the Aorere River.
A two-hour drive over Ta¯kaka Hill from Nelson, many travellers use Collingwood as a jumping-off point for the Heaphy Track, Kahurangi National Park, and tours along Farewell Spit.
But to skip Collingwood altogether would be a mistake. The small town is full of charm. It’s home to two museums, a handful of eateries, an art gallery and a pub. There’s enough to keep you occupied, even on a rainy day.
The photos lining the hallway in The Station House Motel offer a glimpse into a town alive with industry. After the short-lived gold rush that began in 1857, Collingwood became a busy port, exporting local products such as flax, coal and dairy from the Aorere Valley.
The old villa had its own part to play in the town’s history. Built in 1908, the former police
The Langford Store has a display of Kiwi memorabilia, and vintage china for sale. station and residence acted as the ‘‘town’s drunk tank,’’ according to current owner, Sylvie Prieur.
Now a beautifully restored villa, with cosy rooms, a farmhouse kitchen, and a trampoline where the lockup once stood, the building’s past appeals to visitors, Prieur said.
‘‘We’ve had someone come and say their granddad was one of the officers here.’’
Originally from Canada, Prieur met husband Darren Steel, from Nelson, back home. Not long after they met, they travelled all over New Zealand. Golden Bay was the only place Prieur could see herself living, she said.
The couple have run The Station House Motel for more than a decade. Their children, Jaimie and Leroy, grew up in the small town and attend the local school.
Prieur suggests we start our tour with awalk up the hill behind the motel to check out the town’s historic cemetery.
The late afternoon sunshine illuminates the old graves. Many of the inscriptions have worn away, but a board detailing those known to be buried there gives a sense of how brutal life was for the people of 19th-century Collingwood: many died young, and from mining accidents and drownings.
We learn more at Collingwood’s two museums
Sylvie Prieur and Darren Steel have run The Station House Motel with kids, Jaimie and Leroy for more than a decade. (conveniently side by side). The Collingwood Museum is a treasure trove of memorabilia, its collections including everything from school books to moa bones. At the Aorere Centre you can see photos of Collingwood by pioneer photographer Fred Tyree, who documented the town in the early20th century.
Next morning, it’s raining steadily as we head into the Aorere Valley to Bainham, to visit the Langford Store. The general store and post office, not far from the Heaphy Track, has been owned by the same family since it opened in 1928.
As well as serving hot drinks and scones, the store has a smallmuseum and sells vintage china, which owner Sukita Langford sources from all over the country.
Despite the remote location and the weather, the store is busy. Through drifts of rain, aman in gumboots leaves his ute running to duck into the store. Out the back, tourists pore over the china and kiwiana, and nibble on scones.
But a few minutes down the road, the Golden Bay Machinery and Early Settlers Museum at Rockville is empty.
A view of Collingwood wharf, where life is less hectic than at many wharfs around the country.
Winter is usually quiet in Collingwood, but when New Zealand moved into level 2 and cabin-fevered Kiwis began to travel, the town became busy, and off-season trade was brisker than usual.
But as for summer, who knows? Pounamu artist Bruce Gilbert, better known around town as The Sheriff, hopes Kiwis will remember Collingwood when they’re planning their summer holidays.
Gilbert was brought up ‘‘across the bay’’ at Clifton. He’s lived all over the place, and once ran the Cardrona Hotel in Central Otago. He moved to Collingwood 13 years ago, and runs a lodge and the Drift n Jade Gallery on the main street, where he sells pounamu carvings and lacquered petrified wood sculptures.
‘‘People’s values are a lot different on this side of the bay: old-time values, countrified. It hasn’t got the influence of the city here.’’
The West Coast is home to some of New Zealand’s most iconic and secluded baches.
FThere are no two ways about it, Fox Hut is not close to much, and therein lies its charm. You really want to have to go there. Halfway between Greymouth and Westport, New Zealand’s least populous region is quite the trek for most of us to reach.
A four-hour drive from Christchurch will take you through some of the most stunning countryside New Zealand has to offer – and that’s saying something.
And blink and you’ll miss it. Fox Hut is hidden in the flax off State Highway 6, just north of Punakaiki and the last vestiges of phone reception.
The hut is reminiscent of the rich goldmining history on the West Coast, paying homage to the rustic cabins of ages past, with amodern upcycled twist, of course. After all, this is a prime glamping spot. Cosy luxury at its finest, you can snuggle up by the little woodburner to watch the waves roll right in on the wild coastline.
Make sure you get the wood-fired spa cranking as soon as you arrive, so you can slip into the toasty water as the sun sets and the stars begin to appear.
Inside, fall asleep tucked between thick linen sheets and among velvet pillows. Dig your toes into the thick sheepskins on the floor as you wake up to the sound of the waves, and with an extraordinary view thanks to epic floor-to-ceiling windows across the entire deck.
Fox Hut is definitely made for people to stick around and enjoy, so don’t feel any shame if you don’t leave the cabin for a couple of days.
However, if your feet do get itchy (and not from sandflies), there’s plenty to do and see in the area.
Since it’s next to Woodpecker Bay, head down there for long walks on the beach.
Nothing beats watching the sunset over the West Coast waves from Fox Hut.
The hut offers everything you need in one tiny, perfect package.
It’s very much a bring-your-own experience. Fox Hut has a lovely little kitchen that you should definitely take advantage of. With all the trappings of a classic bach but nicer, including an outside barbecue, you have everything you need right there.
Just make sure you stock up on ingredients on your way in. The closest supermarkets are in Greymouth or Westport. Of course, you can always call into Punakaiki for some pancakes and a proper coffee for breakfast.
My favourite spot has to be the Rusty Cup coffee caravan at Fox River. It’s open often, usually closing when the sign blows over three times, and the owner is a bit of a legend.
On Sundays in the summer, head down to Fox River, where the river mouth meets the open sea, for a lovely local market.
There is nowhere better to sit and watch the sunset over the coastline than from the wood-fired spa on the deck of Fox Hut.
It’s a truly special experience you can’t often find. Try it after dark, so you can witness shooting stars and watch SpaceX satellites whirl by, making you feel tiny and insignificant. Listen out for the local weka, as well as the native birds making their nocturnal calls.
Sandflies. Sometimes they are non-existent, but at other times you take your life in your hands if you show any skin There’s also no wi-fi (which is intentional). Embrace it.
Fox Hut is tiny but packs a punch. Made up of one bedroom with a king bed with epic ocean views, there’s also a kitchen and living room that has all you need. There is a full bathroom with hot water, but the outdoor wood-fired spa is the real winner.
An adults-only accommodation, it sits near some steep cliffs and dense bush. The standard rate is around $350 a night.