Christchurch to Hokitika (CHC-HKK) on NZ Beech 1900D

Once I had checked in I had just enough time to clear security and visit the lounge to freshen up before the flight. Boarding was called early, possibly due to the approaching storm front on both sides of the Southern Alps. Across the tarmac to the waiting aircraft – it seemed to be as far away as the international terminal so I was glad there was still bright sunshine and not the heavy rain visible in the distance falling beneath boiling black clouds.

The flight was full. The passengers in row two were disappointed to find there was no window and no view from their seats. We taxied a short distance and took off away from the clouds before turning low over the braided river. We then climbed across the patchwork plains and towards the towering mountains which were partly obscured by cloud spilling over from the far side. By the time we reached the foothills we were getting bounced around and flying in and out of clouds. So we only had glimpses of the rugged terrain below – high peaks and deep valleys, alpine lakes, scree slopes and tussocklands.

Over the divide the cloud was much thicker and so no views of the rainforest. We started descending when it felt we had hardly cleared the peaks hidden below. Several minutes later we broke out of the cloud to a stormy west coast, surf pounding the shore with lush hills rising steeply out of the sea. Heavy showers swept the area and so the pilots were kept busy turning windscreen wipers on and off and lining up the small airfield in between the low clouds.

On final approach we had views up the river valley into the mountains and flew low over the town centre. The airport is on a small plateau behind the township, and surprisingly has 2 runways. The terminal is a small chalet with a few seats and a tiny café.