Stewart Island Part II

Still no pictures, sadly. However, I will attempt to paint you a picture of Ulva Island, our main venture on our first day. Well, as you, dear reader, will no doubt remember, when we last saw you we were having our coffee (long black for me, flat white for Mom - yes, you have to figure out yet another way to order the kind of coffee you are used to drinking!) and discovering yet a second German girl working there. Later we will discover one of the managers is a German guy, an American girl, working there, and a Norwegian girl, Italian guy, and Slovenian guy working on the island.

Lynda had done some research and decreed that our first stop should be Ulva Island, a pristine piece of land out in the bay with NO predator animals. I thought we also might get in a little kayaking as the weather had cleared dramatically since the plane flight (did I mention the pilot loaned us a kitchen towel thing to clean off our windows, but then had to ask for it back when we were landing so he could clean off the front windows). Anyway, it was now sunny and the water looked fairly calm for being essentially in the Southern Ocean. We took off walking to a point on the map where it said Liz would rent you a kayak. About a mile down the road and almost to our destination we ran into a guy who looked like what I would imagine a Stewart Island fisherman would look like. Big, jovial, big beard, gum boots, the works. He started talking and when he learned of our intentions he said. "Well if that's your plan, I'd turn right around and head back to town and find Liz right now before the weather turns bad". After mumbling something about expecting Liz to be near the kayaks (turned out we were now standing beside the boathouse they were kept in), he laughed and let us know that essentially every activity you can do on the island you have to book at or right beside the hotel where the people running the activities are apparently just hanging out. As we turned to hike back, he suggested we stop in at the next bay where his wife, Inge, would pick us up in a little green shuttle bus and take us back to town for free. We then watched him get into one of those little rowboats you always see in countries that are not the U.S. and row out to a big sailboat.

While we were waiting at the next bay for Inez to show up, who should we see coming around the corner of the bay but our sailor friend. He expertly pulled his at least 60 sloop single handedly up to the dock and tied up. Turns out he and Iris run a tour to Ulva Island. About that time the water started developing pretty good white caps and he suggested we might want to forego the kayaking. Although we suspected there might be a little conflict of interest, it was clear he was right about the deteriorating conditions. So, instead of kayaking, when Ilse showed up with their two passengers for the day, we signed on spur of the moment and headed to Ulva Island.

Turned out to be a pretty good thing, too, because he had been the first ranger on the island and only retired a few years ago. So he had a lot to talk about - and boy did he talk a lot. But it was interesting learning how they have returned the island to it's native state of no predators and really no mammals. They have to be on continual lookout for rats that keep trying to hitchhike or swim over, but they do a good job. The little birds will just walk around at your feet. In fact a lot of them are ground nesters because ... no predators, of course. We became amateur birders on our track and can now recognize their native robin, the fantail, bell bird, Tui, and Kacka (a parrot). After a great afternoon around the island with the weather cooperating, we headed back. Lynda was bemoaning the fact that she hadn't seen a penguin, so we all got on penguin watch. And just as we were 300 meters from the dock, the cry went up - "Blue Penguin, one o'clock!". We have to admit it was a distance away and only stayed on the surface for a few seconds before diving away, but ... we did see one! We then retired to their house for a hot coffee - and we really needed it by this point. We had gotten to be pretty good friends with our other companions, Sue and Dennis, by this point. They will show up in our travels later. Sue looks pretty European NZ and Dennis looks more Maori NZ but basically they are just your regular middle aged people you find in any country who have gotten an RV (camping car) and headed out on a tour of the South Island, eventually making it to Stewart Island.

So, evening found us walking down the hill to the pub in the South Seas Hotel, only pub on the island, and joining the locals. How noisy did it get? Will we get any sleep tonight being directly above it? Will we use the ear plugs outside our room? Stayed tuned!