Feb20, a 3.5 hr drive through beautiful farmland from Dunedin to Bluff to get the ferry to Stewart Island. By lunchtime we were in Bluff and drove up to the top of the promontory where there is a nice park with great views.
After lunch at the park we went to Oyster Cove Cafe, a really nice place with huge windows looking out over the Foveaux Straight, which is the ~30 mile stretch of water separating the South Island from Stewart Island. We had a relaxing couple hours working on the computer, reading and having drinks, while waiting for our 5pm ferry.
The ferry ride took about an hour. Calm conditions made for an easy journey but we were told that at times it can be challenging with 6 meter seas and 70 knot winds. That would NOT be fun. But all was well and when we got to Oban harbor, Peter, our host, met us on the dock and drove us up to his place on a hill above the harbor.
Oban is the only town on the island, and home to most of the 400 people who live on Stewart Island. There is a hotel with a nice restaurant and a great pub, a primary school and several cafes that may or may not be open, depending on staffing or maintenance issues. Everyone knows everyone and people really do get involved in what goes on in the city council. Most homes capture their own water from their roofs and some, like Peter and Iris’s are completely ‘off-grid,’ supplying all their own electricity (mostly solar panels, some diesel generator assist). For many years Iris was the nurse and there was (and still is) no doctor (although their daughter is now the head doctor at NZ’s top pediatrics hospital in Auckland). Peter’s father, as head of the city council, spearheaded the job putting the first paved roads (all 24 kms) on Stewart Island.
Peter and Iris have lived in Oban, the only city on Stewart Island, for over 30 years. He was a forest ranger and a commercial fisherman and (as already mentioned) Iris was the town nurse. They are now retired and rent rooms to visitors, with Peter giving nature tours of the area. Ulva Island is small nature preserve island inside the Patterson Inlet which nearly cuts Stewart Island in half. Peter gives a great tour of the island, imparting a wealth of information about the plants, animals, geology and history of Ulva and Stewart Islands.
Peter and Iris really enjoy hosting people and showing off Stewart Island. They are both passionate about the island and it’s unique life style and natural resources. Peter just lights up when he talks about the work to preserve the endangered kiwi birds or endemic plants. They don’t do this for the money – it’s all about connecting to and sharing with people who are interested in the beauty of this special place.
Here, on our guided tour of Ulva Island, Peter is grabbing some berries to tell us about the birds that depend on this food source. He explains that some of the animals introduced by European settlers also eat these berries, hurting the local bird population. Ulva Island is now a ‘predator free zone’ where all these animals (rats, possums, stoats, cats and dogs) have been eliminated and the native plants and animals are making a comeback. However, rats can swim over a kilometer so every year a few get on Ulva Island the forest service needs to be vigilant, keeping up their eradication program on the island.
A beach on Ulva where Kiwi birds, penguins, and a number of other native species live.
The next day, Peter dropped us off at a trail head of a nice hike around a point from Lee Bay to Horse Shoe Bay and then to Oban. Near the beginning is an art piece made up of huge chain links that are attached to the island, with the chain trailing off into the water toward the South Island. In the Maori origin story, the god Maui, was out in his canoe and hooked a large fish that became the North Island. The South Island is his canoe and Stewart Island is the anchor stone for his canoe. The art piece is the anchor chain attached to the island. On the bottom of the South Island, across the Foveaux Straight is the other end of the anchor chain. The chain also signifies the connections of the peoples on both sides of the straight.
There were great views of the water from many parts of the hike.
Near the end of the trail was a garden made by a famous environmental activist of the 1920s to 1950s. Peter and Iris were married here, under the arch in this photo.
Our last night was a very special event, the “Kiwi Experience Cruise.” The crew was contagiously enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the animals that are endemic to this area. Karen and Jan kept on trading off, telling stories about the animals, what is being done to preserve them, and the threats still remaining. We saw two kinds of albatross (some have a wingspan over 10 ft!), sea lions and a Yellow Eyed Penguin, the most rare of all penguins. As darkness fell (around 9pm, it’s late this far south), we landed in an area where many Brown Kiwis live. They are the largest kiwi and there are many on Stewart Island. We took off on trails through the forest and saw two kiwis foraging for food among the leaves and branches. Then we went down to the beach and spent about 20 minutes watching a kiwi eating crustaceans called Sand Hoppers. The kiwi certainly knew we were there, but does not see us as a threat, so he just goes about his business. It was great to see this iconic and threatened bird out in the wild. I could not take any photos due to the low light (the guides used dim red lights to illuminate the kiwi) so I stole a pic from some web site to show what a kiwi looks like.
We got back to our room well after midnight, but it was definitely worth the late night out!
We were up early the next morning and down at the warf for our 8am ferry to the South Island. Then a 3 hour drive to Queenstown to meet my son Bryan.
More on that next time.
Shortly after I began reading this piece, I googled Stewart Island and learned more. Your narrative and photos made it come alive. Thank you!
Frank