Blog #19 – Stewart Island – December 10 – 12, 2010

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Blog #19 – Stewart Island – December 10 – 12, 2010
Stewart Island is a special place an hour ferry ride from the south tip of the South Island. And their luggage handling was special too – we stuck our chilly bin and our packs in a container that looked much like a dumpster, it was covered with a tarp to guard against the weather, and hoisted over by a crane.

Stewart Island was originally settled by whalers (some of whom jumped ship), bushmen (lumberjacks) and some very hardy fisherfolk, most of whom intermarried with the Maori people. A small nearby island called Ulva Island became the point of entry for all mail to New Zealand – the mail would come via Australia to Ulva Island, the postmaster would hoist a flag, and all persons hopeful of letters or parcels would row over. In 1900 the mail entry point switched to Bluff, from whence we had taken the ferry, for South Island mail, and the backpackers we slept in was renovated from the original Bluff postoffice.

The weather was a bit on and off (i.e. intermittent rain) when we were on Stewart, but that didn’t stop us, for as a local told me, “If you didn’t go out because it might rain, you’d never get anything done.” We took a water taxi to Ulva Island, and had a wonderful guided tour with a lovely Maori woman named (wait for it!) Ulva. She assured us that she was named after the island, that she wasn’t old enough for the island to be named after her. We saw rare birds including the Stewart Island robin, native trees, and heard lovely stories of the island’s history. Another day Jim went fishing for blue cod, while Emily and Carole hiked. A third day, after attending the Presbyterian church, we rented sea kayaks and headed out along the coast – we didn’t circumnavigate the island, but we did have a great paddle. A nice feature to our stay was the extremely good backpackers. You see Emily and Jim in the garden at a picnic table enjoying some of the blue cod Jim caught. We formed a team with some other folks from the backpackers and headed down to Quiz Night at the pub. It was quite an experience – we tied with two other local teams for first place, but lost on the bonus round. Still, pretty good for non-New Zealanders! Stewart Island was a place we could stay longer – or revisit – but it was time to head back to mainland and pick up Rachel.

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Comments

[Bil]

You are "packing" it in
Hello Carole and Jim, We look forward to each installment of your blog as we might a special letter. Your photos and descriptions transport us ... on top of that, using Google Earth, I am able to track your tracks and get down to the places you are seeing from ground level. Looking forward to your next observations. We hosted New Years dinner and had a great group over to celebrate yet another year ... and the start of another decade. We are still amazed at how time marches on. Hope all continues to go well and by my reckoning ... you've got at least three more hubcap losses covered from your cache. If you don't use them all, one has to be brought home as a special souvenir of your road trip. All the best Bil and Gail

[Gail & Bil]

Missing You
Sat. Jan. 8 (At the kitchen table gazing out at the sunny winter wonderland and sparrows at the bird feeder - 16 degrees.) What a super time you are having! You are having experiences that many Kiwis have not. Did you have a great Christmas with the girls? Is New Years a big deal in NZ? Hopefully you have missed the effects of earthquakes in the east and the torrential rains in Oz that Queenslanders have been dealing with lately. Carole, you are a wonderful writer! I've completely changed my mind about revisiting NZ now I've read about your experiences and seen the great photos. We have obviously missed lots! Of course we would need Carole to be organizer and diarist and Jim as chef, fisher, forager and trekking guide! I hope your energy level isn't flagging. We're both missing you and look forward to visits after you return! Tonight is Ken's retirement party at the old firehall, should be a hoot! I'm helping Cathy, Ellen et al to decorate the hall with a tropical theme. Take care, love Gail. P.S. I gave your blog address to Joan T. and Gail Mc.