Stewart Island The most Southerly Place in NZ

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Woke up this morning to hear the pitter patter of rain!!!! I had already booked to go to Stewart Island so despite the rain and the fact it was really cold I set off to Bluff just outside Invercargill to catch the ferry to Stewart Island. The journey takes about an hour and it was quite rough on the way there. One or two people looked a bit pale but it was ok. Arrived at Stewart Island still raining, but every now and then it would stop so I managed a feshort walks in between the showers. Decided to take the bus tour as it seemed a better option than getting soaked and cold all day. The driver was very informative and told us that there are four hundred full time resident on the island which swells to two and a half thousand in the summer months. There are twenty five children at the local school and three teachers. WOW. The policeman apparently hunts and fishes when he isn't working but seems pretty laid back when it comes to their car tax. When the relief policeman comes to the island they all hide their cars for two weeks. Only a very small part of the island actually has any roads the only way to get around is by water taxi or walk. The island is quite large but it is not all accessible. In the afternoon they had a film on in the local theatre the film was made by the islanders and was told by a dog who went down the pub to listen to all the local gossip and stories from bygone days. It lasted about forty minutes and told some great stories of life on the island and there was some original footage that the islanders had all contributed. Most enjoyable. In the afternoon the weather cleared a little but is was still cold. First time I have worn a coat since I left the USA.

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