Stewart Island : Wilderness Paradise

Stewart Island : A Wilderness Paradise

Stewart Island is a magical spot, one of our favorite places of our whole trip. It is unspoiled and undeveloped and we felt part of the nature and part of the community. Seeing the kiwis on our last night was a truly spectacular experience.

The island is the most southerly part of NZ. It was the mythical anchor of Maui's boat, which became the south island , as he caught the fish which became north island , according to Maori legend. The island is 40 k south of Bluff, the most southerly city in NZ. Eighty- five percent of the island is national park, and the total population, centring mainly on the tiny village of Oban is 400 people. Getting to the island was a bit of a challenge for me. Foveaus Strait , the 40 k of ocean between the mainland and the island, is known to be one of the roughest pieces of ocean around. I managed to avoid the white bag brigade by taking my ginger pill, deep breathing and praying the the one hour of huge waves, pitching seas and general mayhem would soon end. It did.

The island hospitality started with a warm greeting from our host, who met us at the ferry dock, showed us the town ( which didn't take long) and escorted us to our little cabin. We climbed up a steep flight of steps and felt like we were living in a tree house. We looked out over giant tree ferns, rimu trees, and heard a chorus of birdsong , from bellbirds to tuis to wood pigeons. On our first morning, as we sat having coffee on the porch, we were greeted by a kaka ( a native parrot) who posed obligingly for photos until Griz payed him off with a few cheerios. That night, as we were preparing dinner, we heard a tapping at the sliding door, and there was the kaka, wanting to join us for happy hour. He came every day that we were in the cabin.

We had an amazing hike on Ulva Island, a small island offshore, that has been a park and has been totally predator free since the 1930s. Many birds that were nearing extinction are thriving here , and the birdsong and the lush forest were awe inspiring. Many of the birds were so tame, they came to us, one robin posing on Griz's shoe while I took his photo. We took many hikes through wild bush, beach landscapes and spectacular views.

We had a great time meeting the locals at the local fish and chips cart. There were only 2 inside tables so we had to share. They served the best blue cod and mussel chowder we have ever tasted. One night, we sat next to Tom, who lives part time on the island and part time in Galliano Island in BC. We had met him 17 yrs ago when we took a trip on his catamaran charter boat when we were in Galliano. Small world.

The most moving experience of our whole visit was the kiwi spotting adventure. Because the boat has to cross open ocean, anchor in a bay and then ferry passengers into a dingy to a small beach, the weather has to be calm. There were gale force winds for the first 4 days we were on the island and the trip was cancelled. We were thrilled when the wind finally dropped on our last night and we were able to go. The water was calm and we watched a gorgeous sunset as we motored to the landing spot. Our guide instructed us to be extremely quiet as we waited on the beach for the group to be ferried over. We stood, holding our breaths. We had to walk about 600 metres through the bush to a beach where the kiwis usually forage for food at night. We all had flashlights and it seemed like a magical ritual as we walked silently through the bush to the beach, afraid to make a sound. When we arrived at the beach, our guide spotted a kiwi immediately, as it hunted bugs, oblivious to the hushed sighs of the 15 of us awed souls. It was amazing to see the bird in its natural habitat, not just in a zoo as we had done before. We saw 2 chicks, one on the beach and one in the woods. All were silent as we headed back through the woods to our landing spot. After the darkness of the woods, we were shocked by the display of stars on the beach, the best we had seen since being on the island. It was an amazing night- a fitting ending to our Steward Island adventure. We will certainly come back. Next stop- the Catlins and Banks Penninsula...