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On again. We were picked up by Campbell Shuttle at 8.20 and taken down to Bluff, the ferry terminal for Stewart Island to catch the 9.30 Foveaux Express Ferry. The operation was relaxed but well organised with baggage being stowed in containers on the dockside and loaded onto the deck by crane.
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The sea was reasonably smooth but at 20 knots the ferry bounced around a bit as we made our way across the Foveaux Strait (named after Joseph Foveaux, Governor of New South Wales). Over the surface of the water muttonbirds (sooty shearwater) skimmed in front of us. A lone mollymawk (a small species of albatross) flew by.
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To our left the Titi or Muttonbird Islands passed by. On these islands, Maori with ancestral rights visit between March and May to catch the young birds which are a highly prized delicacy.
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Sailed into Halfmoon Bay and the port of Oban on Stewart Island at 10.30.
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Stewart Island takes its name from William Stewart, an officer of the sealing vessel the Pegasus, who compiled the first detailed charts of the southern coast.
Stewart Island is known as Rakiura, land of the glowing skies. While Rakiura also refers to the embarrassment of Te Rakitamau, it is equally descriptive of the island's spectacular sunsets and its night-time displays of Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights.Mount Anglem - Hananui
The island's highest peak has special spiritual and cultural significance for Rakiura Maori. It takes its name from the unrequited love story of Te Rakitamau, an ancestral chief who was rejected by both daughters of a Stewart Island/ Rakiura chief. Hananui describes his humiliated blushes as the 'great glow' of Te Rakitamau.
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Picked up our packs and made our way up to the DOC office to get advice and our hut passes. A notice on the wall gave definitions of 5 types of bog, this was most reassuring!
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Classification of Stewart Island Bog
1. Sand Bog
The nicest type. User friendly. Light grey streaked with brown. Firm. Will not admit boot further than 20-30mm.
2. Regular bog
Type a - Dark brown. Squidgy but not squidgy. Low tenacity.
Type b - Similar but greater moisture content. Medium tenacity. Admits boot 20-80mm
(a & b may be experienced in abundance on Northern Circuit)
3. Super Bog
As above, but very high moisture content. Found on difficult steep hilly ascents and descents, usually covering twisted tree roots.
4. Ultra Bog
As above, but sloppier, boggier and happy to admit entire boot, ankle and calf.
5. Clay Bog
Yellow brown. Mild to moderate squidgyness. Very useful to slalom skiers wishing to maintain peak winter performance during the summer months.
Please Note
The above classification was made during the summer months. For winter bog please refer to number four of the above description.
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Before setting off we called in at a cafe for a drink and a cake.
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Horseshoe Bay
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With the sun shining and a few clouds about as we set off on the Rakiura Track along the Horseshoe Bay Road at 11.30. The first 5km was on road going up and down hill, first past Horseshoe Bay and then into Lee Bay. A few holiday homes stood near the sandy beaches over looking the blue sea, but would it be so idyllic in less pleasant weather?
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Beside Lee Bay Road, in the hedge we came upon a miniature house called 'Rimu View' that someone had built and furnished for no particular reason but the pleasure of doing it. Reached Lee Bay and the end of the road at 12.30 to join a path round the bay.
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Dolls House
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This quiet stretch of coast has seen, over several centuries, a variety of settlements and short lived industries from sealing and whaling to fish processing and timber milling. In 1931, the closure of the island's last operating sawmill at Maori Beach enabled the forest to reclaim its own - leaving few reminders of human activity.
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At the start were three plaques set in the ground with quotes on them.
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"I must go over to New Zealand one day"
Stewart islander
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"The face of the earth is changing so rapidly that soon there will be little of primitive nature left. In the Old World, it is practically gone forever. Here, then, is Stewart Island's prime advantage, and one hard to overestimate. It is an actual piece of the primeval world."
Leonard Cockayne 1909
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"Stewart Island anchors more than Maui's canoe, It anchors in its rocks, rivers and rugged shores, and in its garnishment of plants and animals the hope of generations unborn that places like this will always exist
Neville Peat 1992
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Across the path stretched a sculpture of a large anchor chain. Stepping through a link we made our way along a well made gravel path with tree ferns growing on the seaward side. A high tide was lapping against the rocks to our right. At Little River we descended to the beach and used that as the path for the next kilometre before climbing up again over the headland of Peters Point. In the trees as we passed tui flew about and sang.
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Back down again to Maori Beach, with a small island to one side to give it extra interest, where at 1.45 we sat to eat our lunch. The waves gently lapped against the pristine sand in which numerous types of shells were buried. Every now and again a wave perhaps a little larger than the rest or perhaps more accurately aligned with the beech would break all at once along a 100m stretch creating soothing reverberations. But after 20 minutes the wind started to whip up the dry sand so we had to move on.
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Crossed a swing bridge to climb an older path, boarded in places and often constructed on top of still older board walk. At 2.35 we reached the path junction and turned along towards the hut. Again we were able to walk part way along the beach, at the end clambering over some rocks to get back to the path at Port William and shortly after at 3.05 we reached the hut.
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Port William was established in 1873 by 24 Scottish immigrants but after only a year it was abandoned.
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Once we had settled in we sat out in the sun for a short while until the sand flies became too bothersome and we retired inside to work on our diaries and postcards.
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Left Port William hut at 7.45 and made our way back to the main track, this time going through the forest as the tide was too high to go round by the beach. From the turn to the hut until we reached North Arm Hut about 95% of the path was boarded, but it was only about 16 inches wide and so a couple of times we accidentally stepped off the side.
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One section of the path was quite straight and level and at one place we came across a section of rail beside the path so assumed that we were walking along an old tramway. Over 70 years ago the area had been cut down but since then has been left to regenerate.
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Two swing bridges took us over stream as we continued to climb up banks of wooden steps interspersed with more level sections of board walk.
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From the trees around we could hear pips, squeak, croaks, creeks and groans of the birds, but they were keeping themselves well hidden. Finally, in front of us a kaka silently flew by, no wonder we hadn't seen them, they make so little noise. Squawking of parrots directly overhead also enabled us to spot them high up in the canopy.
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At 10.35 we reached the lookout point and spent over 30 minutes looking at the views, resting and investigating the rata tree to get its characteristics fixed in our minds.
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Having done most of the hard work we set off to the North Arm Hut, passing the turn to the Northern Circuit at midday and reaching the hut at 12.35
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During the night there had been some rain but when we got up at 6.15 there was a hazy sun on the horizon. At 7.20 before most of the other hutters were even out of their sleeping bags we were on our way through woods of rimu, totora and kamahi. Although not as much as the previous day, the majority of the path was again on boards with at times long flights of steps. After an hour we reached the camp at Sawdust Bay and another hour brought us to Kaipipi Bay. At 9.35 we turned off down a short track to a picnic spot on the side of Kiapipi Bay and sat for a snack. and a relax.
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10 o'clock and we were off again, now on the Kiapipi Road, and old track, that had once been cobbled, joining the sawmill at Kiapipi Bay to Oban. As we went the birds played games with us, singing as we approached them but as soon as we stopped to look where they were, going silent.
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10.45 brought us to the road proper and we started to re-enter civilisation; the vista opened out, chippings covered the road, electricity poles and houses started to appear with mown grass and rubbish out for bin day. Coming to the end of the walk the road played a cruel trick on us and started to climb up hill, but at last we dropped down again and at 11.05 we were back at the DOC office. The walk was classified as a 'Great Walk' and although it was good and the huts were good but to give it a Great Walk status was an award to far.
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Halfmoon Bay
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Returned to Justcafe for a well deserved drink and a cake and sat about reading the papers before going back to the DOC office to look at a small but enlightening exhibition about the island. The sun which had kept itself hidden finally broke through, though it remained cool in the shadows. We had also hoped to visit the local museum but unfortunately it only opened from 10 to 12 daily and therefore we were too late. With a place with so few attractions that it has a sign post to the District Nurse we occupied ourselves with sitting on the grass by the harbour with a salmon sandwich, a drink and our books.
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Caught the 3.30 ferry back to Invercargill with the sea just as calm as it was when we travelled out.
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Looking back at Oban
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