Stewart Island and the Rakiura Track

Kia Ora everyone,

Ok, so this is my second post in quick succession. If you haven't seen the first, look on the toolbar to the right, and click into it from there. This is catch up work, but I would say that once classes start, one post every two weeks will be about average.

Last Friday, the 19th, two friends and I were eating lunch and discussing possibilities for a short weekend trip. We just happened to notice a bus running from Dunedin to Invercargill, at the southern tip of the country, that was leaving one hour later. We threw down our food and literally ran to our flats, threw our backpacking gear together, and sprinted to the train station at city center, barely making it in time to hop on the bus to the Southland. Three hours later we were in Invercargill, an unimpressive little city bordered by the Foveaux Strait to the south, and marshy farmland in all other directions. It was pouring rain, night was falling, and we didn't have a place to stay. After unsuccessful attempts to get a room in the local hotels and hostels we found a small campground and spent the night there.

The following morning we loaded up our gear and caught a shuttle to the outpost of Bluff, where a ferry runs between the South Island and Stewart Island, our ultimate destination. We didn't have reservations for the ferry either, and just happened to luck onto exactly 3 openings at the last minute. The hour long ferry was insane. The boat was pretty small, carrying about 60 passengers over breakers that were easily 10 feet high, and people were getting seasick left and right. Looking back on it now, it was probably pretty dangerous.

At about noon we finally arrived in Oban, the only inhabited place on Stewart Island (pop. 400). After buying some supplies, we quickly set off to find the Rakiura Track, one of New Zealand's famous and aptly named "Great Walks". The scenery was stunning, as untouched beaches climbed into dense rainforest for the length of the 24 mile track, which we completed in 3 days.

The backpack was actually so good that I checked two lifetime goals off my list on this one trip. The first was to camp on a beach, which we did the first night at a place called Maori Beach and the second at Sawdust Bay, which was even better. The second goal achieved was to cook and eat mussels that I had found on my own. We were able to find heaps of them at Sawdust Bay, and steamed them in my camp stove. They were delicious, but I don't think my Jetboil will ever smell the same. Our night at Sawdust Bay also allowed us to mingle with some natives, as we had to wrestle food and trash away from about 5 possums sometime in the middle of the night. We were unable to see the elusive Kiwi though, and although about 20,000 live on Stewart Island (it is really the only place they still exist in the wild), it is still extremely difficult to find one because they are nocturnal.

We were not completely alone on the track, but those we did meet and camp with were great. There was a group of four French travelers who were really funny, a bush pilot from Alaska, and a Canadian couple who attend the University of Otago as well. Interestingly enough, the only Olympic coverage I have seen came once we arrived back in Oban, where we were able to watch the USA vs. Canada hockey game in the local pub with our Canadian friends. It was great, especially since the Americans won! The following morning we caught the 8AM ferry back to the mainland and arrived back in Dunedin in the afternoon. This trip was definitely worth the money we spent on the travel, and was without doubt the most impromptu trip I have ever taken in my life. It was fun, but I will want to plan a little better in the future.

The pictures I am loading here are my favorites, but there are a lot more that I have from the trip. Loading them all would be messy, but I feel like these give a good impression of what it was like.

Next goal is to buy a car, because the scheduling of busses is ridiculous here, and the cost is pretty steep as well... Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying my blog, and that everything is going well in the states. I will talk to you in a few weeks with new adventures!

Cheers!