Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand

We travelled in style from the Greens to the Healy’s, for our first reunion,

… in this classic Chevrolet, courtesy of the Greens’ son-in-law, Warren

From Wellington, we flew to Invercargill, at the southern tip of South Island, to stay with friends we hadn’t seen since 2008. What a wonderful welcome we received!

While we were there, we took the opportunity to visit Stewart Island, even further south! The climate
there is unpredictable at latitude 47°, but we were fortunate to go there on a fine day, with no rain. (The island’s rainforests are a testament to the frequency of its rainfall.)

As we waited for our ferry to Stewart Island, we saw this beautiful sailing ship,

The ‘Spirit of New Zealand’

The ship was built in 1986 by the Spirit of New Zealand Trust specifically for Youth development. Every year, groups of trainees, aged between 15 and 18 years, take up the challenge of learning about
the sea, and how to sail a tall ship.

David in Oban, Stewart Island

Stewart Island is 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of New Zealand's South Island, and is best known for  its conservation areas of native birds and plants. We only went for the day, but it is a popular place for camping along hiking trails, and for sightings of the Aurora Australis at night.

The Police Station on Stewart Island

As you can see from the size of the police station, the population is very small, less than 400 local
inhabitants.

We saw the sign, but didn’t see the kiwis!

We walked up hill, and down to the Ulva Island Ferry

David waiting for the ferry

Sign at the ferry station

Ulva Island is an unspoilt rainforest, a natural haven for rare birds and plants. The sign is to remind visitors the importance of keeping predators away, especially rats which devour birds eggs, hatchlings, and kill native plants.

Ulva Island (Te Wharawhara)

Steps up to Flagstaff Point

View from the top

Mail for Stewart Island used to be delivered on Ulva Island, and the residents used to row across to
collect their post, and a raised flag on Flagstaff Point signalled that the post had arrived. It became quite a festive occasion as friends from different settlements could meet up.

We trekked around the island as quietly as possible, so we could see the wildlife. Here are some of
the unique birds we saw.

The elusive Weka

The Weka cannot fly, but is able to walk and swim long distances. It feeds mostly on insects, birds' eggs, lizards, and sometimes even other birds.

New Zealand Wood Pigeon (Kererū)

These are larger than the pigeons seen in cities throughout the world, and we saw several swooping
through the forest.

Stewart Island Robin (Toutouwai)

The ferry boat driver told us just to step into the forest, and the birds would come. He was quite right. As we walked off the path, we disturbed the insects they eat, and immediately a Robin came hopping along.

Kākā

This is quite a destructive bird. It strips the bark off trees to get at the insects underneath.

We had a wonderful day on Stewart Island, and I will definitely want to visit it again, perhaps for longer than just one day.

Elizabeth Coughlan

The West Coast of South Island, New Zealand

Relaxing, and enjoying a barbecue in Wanaka

We have just travelled up the west coast of New Zealand! Avis took us to Queensland where Wayne picked us up and took us on to Wanaka where we went straight to a barbecue at the campsite where Val and John (our hosts for the evening) were staying. We had a most enjoyable evening and reluctantly departed to find our B&B for the night. We spent a very comfortable night at Collinson's Cottage in Wanaka and were thoroughly spoilt by our hosts, Brian and Susanne.

The next day, Wayne, Raewyn, David and I drove up over the Haast Pass to Fox Galcier (see photo of David and Wayne by a waterfall up high in the pass). On the way, we stopped at the Salmon Farm for lunch. We had a delicious bowl of Salmon Chowder, served with a home-made bread. This sustained us as we continued on to view the glacier.

It is interesting to note that this glacier, together with the Frans Josef Glacier, has the distinction of being one of the few glaciers to end among lush, temperate rain forest, only 300 metres above sea level. We drove on from there to the town of Frans Josef where we were booked into the Glacier Gateway Motel.

That evening we walked from the hotel into Frans Josef, across the Waiho River. This is a very small town – population 320 – although swelled to many times that by the tourists visiting the glacier!

The Fox Glacier

The Franz Josef Glacier

David and Wayne were up early the next day as they had planned to run to the glacier and back before breakfast – an 8km round trip! Raewyn and I waited until after breakfast, when we all drove to the glacier car park for a much shorter walk to view the glacier. Everywhere we looked the vegetation was amazingly prolific and such wonderful shades of green – although maybe it is not so amazing when you know that the annual rainfall is 5 – 6 METRES per annum.

We said goodbye to the glacier and drove down the coast to the pancake rocks at Punakaiki. The pancake rocks are a curious limestone formation in which the layers of rocks look like piles of pancakes. In the rocks are blowholes, through which water spurts high into the air when there is a heavy surf. No one knows why the rocks developed in that way and it is thought they are quite unique.

That evening we stayed at The Great Beach House at Tauranga Bay, a B&B owned by Michael and Yvonne (see photo left). The setting is stunning. Their house is on a promontory between two beaches and the view from both sides is spectacular! Michael and Yvonne were excellent hosts and if it weren't for the fact we had to be in Blenheim by Friday, we would have been tempted to stay – although I am sure they have guests lined up for the rest of the year! We were delighted to have a sitting room for our own use, complete with baby grand piano, a library, beautiful paintings to browse and a balcony overlooking the sea. Only a few steps away from their house is the Bay House Restaurant which serves gourmet meals. After dining in style there, we walked to the seal colony and watched the mothers with their babies, while the 'Beach Master' stood sentinel nearby. Breakfast the next morning was a delight and Michael's home-baked bread was the crowning achievement. (We also loved Michael's t-shirt!).

The view of Cape Foul Wind

The view of Nine Mile Beach

The stunning view from Michael and Yvonne's outdoor 'Cocktail Lounge'.