Ulva Island

Before humans arrived in New Zealand there were only three species of mammal on the island and all of those were bats. Since then we have introduced a number of species including cats, dogs, rats, stoats, opossums, rabbits, deer, and moose (our Canadian contribution, though I understand the moose didn't survive well and are now thought to be extinct here). A number of native birds (most notably the Kiwi Bird) are mostly defenseless against these predators and are in rapid decline (the deer, rabbits and opossums might seem benign but without natural predators they expand in numbers and devastate the vegetation). Rats are quite widespread on the three main islands and also on a number of the smaller islands due to fishing and whaling vessels landing there and bringing along their furry stowaways.

A few months ago a co-worker at Spectral (Thanks Pete!) loaned me a non-fiction book called Rats. It was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about our furry "friends". One interesting story in the book detailed the efforts by the New Zealand government to rid Ulva Island of its rat population. It was quite an undertaking but by using traps, rat bait, dogs and guns they were ultimately successful. They have since been repopulating the island with native species that were wiped out by the rats and the island is now a protected sanctuary.

On Friday morning we packed up our things and made our way back over the big hill to catch the 9:00 water taxi to Ulva Island. There are signs on the wharf asking boat captains and passengers to be extra careful that there are no rats on board or in their luggage. We were 100% certain we were rat free.


The water taxi leaves you at a substantial dock which is adjacent to a pretty beach. There are some signboards showing the various walking paths that have been created and the estimated walking time for each. We had 2 1/2 hours until the water taxi would be back to pick us up, so we chose a few walks and set off.

(The GPS track shown is a terrain view. If you want the satellite view click on the button in the upper right corner and select Satellite and then un-zoom one level by clicking the "-" sign in the upper left corner)



I will admit to being a little disappointed at the number of birds we saw on our hike, but those we did see were very friendly and completely unafraid of humans. This little guy was picking through the underbrush just off the walking path.


As you can see from this picture the paths are very well made and maintained.


The vegetation was simply stunning with lots of giant trees and interesting ferns.


I think this is a Tui, which is also the name of an excellent beer.


As we came to the end of our first walk, we stepped out onto a short beach. As we stood there, this little guy came up from the water's edge and stomped right past us into the bush.


I have no idea what kind of bird this is.


Here is another of the birds (we later were told were called Muckruckers) strolling past Debbie.


Some not-very-wild life.


Another mystery bird.


Another shot showing the excellent paths. There were a number of people much older than we are (note my careful avoidance of age-ist terminology) wandering around without any difficulty.


Our second path let us out onto a wider beach covered in lovely fine sand. Debbie went for a shoe-less walk along the beach while I snooped on a flock of seabirds resting on an adjacent island.





I also snooped on a family out for a day sail.


On our way back to the water taxi rendezvous we came upon a group of people staring up into a tree. After staring bewildered around, I finally asked the group's guide who pointed out the green parrot foraging behind some branches. The group eventually moved on and shortly thereafter the parrot stepped out to see what was going on.



As we waited for the ride back to Stewart Island I snapped a pic of the beach ...


... and of Stewart Island as seen from the dock.


Safely back at Stewart Island we hiked our way back up the giant hill (it got taller with each passage) and diverted up an even steeper road that led to an observation point. This is a small flotilla of sailboats that were returning from a morning sail.


The island on the near horizon is Ulva Island (Not the little one in the foreground). If you look at the GPS map above and zoom out a little you will see that the hiking tracks only cover a portion of the western island, with the remainder left undisturbed.


This is the harbour at Halfmoon Bay. You can see our little water taxi still tied up at the dock.


These shots were taken on the way down the hill leading toward Golden Bay and the hotel. They're lucky it doesn't snow here.



Just a couple of nature shots ... the first is of the fairly common pigeon found there and the second is just a pretty flower.



We stopped at the hotel for some lunch and waited for the ferry back to the South Island and Invercargill. This is a local person taking their dog out for a ride. I later walked around that truck parked near the docks and having forgotten about the passenger in the back came nose to nose with the beast.


They load up cargo on the back of the ferry before the passengers are loaded.


And finally for Stewart Island, some bathroom humour from the hotel washroom ...


... a shot of the hotel ...


... and a view of the town as the ferry steams away.


No Cafe shot today, so we'll have to get by with just me having a ferry beer (Tui!)


And finally here's Debbie, happy to be back to our Invercargill home.


That's it for our Stewart Island trip. We head north on the South Island from here over the next few days.

Until then ...

Don

Stewart Island Part II

When we last checked in with our intrepid travellers, they had been abandoned on the beach by their transport and fellow travellers and were left to make their way inland as best they could.

The path eventually became a bit more obvious and after one wrong turn, we found ourselves in a bit more wooded area. One would have to be pretty oblivious not to be able to follow this path!



We came upon a large shed which had a number of tents around and there was a young woman out walking a dog. There was an outhouse on the property, so we made use of it and while I was waiting for Debbie I was approached by a grizzled but cheerful man. It seems that normally dogs wouldn't be allowed out there but that these were students out doing a Kiwi bird count and the dogs were used to help find them. Apparently when the dog spots a Kiwi bird, it will freeze and point so the people can see them and do whatever they are doing with the birds (I didn't get all that info, but I would suspect banding?). I also discovered that in that particular location they have a lot of what they call "Sand Flys" or what we call "Black Flys". In the 5 minutes standing there I got attacked by swarms of them and I couldn't believe these people were camping there! In all fairness, though, that is the only insect problem we had on the whole hike. It was amazingly mosquito free, even in the swampy sections.

The land opened up a bit and we found ourselves in some mixed forest



In all honesty, we didn't see a whole lot of wildlife on our trek, but we did see a million Tent Caterpiller tents. Debbie joked that Stewart Island was a Tent Caterpiller sanctuary.


There were quite a few of these little yellow flowers and the bees were numerous and, of course being bees, busy.


We walked out of the more wooded area into a more grassy terrain. The weather on the beach in the early morning was quite cool, but as we worked our way inland the breeze fell off, and the temperature climbed to be pleasant without jackets.



I took a panorama of the grassy area. It's a full 360 degree panorama, and you can see the path leading back behind Debbie and onward over to the right side of the image. That's the same hill on the far right and left of the picture.


The path wandered through the grasslands and then back into some forested area. I liked the almost-filled-in tunnel feel to these sections.


Walking over the uneven ground with roots and washed away sections, we tended to keep our eyes on the path to avoid any ankle unpleasantness and we had to remind ourselves to look up and around at the scenery. We almost missed this hill, if you can believe it. Guess which way the wind blows around here.


And yet even more almost-closed-in path.


As the ground around got progressively wetter, we started to run into these narrow wooden foot paths.


Soon enough there was more wooden foot path than not. Early on they seemed like an improvement to the root and rut strewn dirt paths. The problem with them is that they are quite narrow and you don't want to step off into the swampy muddy water on the side, so you end up concentrating just as much on your steps as before, so the scenery once again must be looked at when you stop.






This little guy startled me when he jumped out of the bush right into the path. He wasn't the slightest bit concerned by us and kept jumping nearer. Perhaps he/she had a nest nearby.


Someone took some time out of their walking to weave this little trail marker.


The path led into a swampy forested area which then became less swampy.


We stopped here for a snack. The day before we had thought to pick up a couple of water bottles, but we forgot a trail snack so at the last minute before we left the hotel we jammed a bag of chips into the pack. How's that for the definitive sign of novice hikers. Sitting in the bush eating potato chips.


By this time, we were getting a little tired and our packs were feeling heavier. We had packed clothes and gear for our overnight stay on the Island, but as usual for us we packed too many things and along with the full complement of camera gear we were pretty well loaded. We loaded up our stuff and set off again.



Here is a mini-panorama of the area just off the path. The moss was quite colourful.


After 5 hours we finally reached the rendezvous point, greeted by the two women sunbathing on the dock and the German couple settled into the hut for the night. There are several hiker's (they are called "Trampers" here, not hikers) huts located at convenient one-day's hike spacings around the island. They are claimed on a first-come first-served basis, so I suppose getting there early is a plus. In the case of Freshwater Hut (where we were being picked up by the water taxi) the hut is located on the far side of the river. This is the bridge erected to reach the other side.




This is the hut as seen from the middle of the bridge. Debbie chose not to cross over.






The water taxi (which had been pre-arranged by the airplane company) arrived as scheduled and we were quickly loaded on. While we were loading, a single hiker showed up to ask about a trip back to town the next day. After terms were settled, she set off to hike over to Mason's beach (where we landed) and then was going to hike back the next day.


This is the river we travelled down before reaching the ocean. You can see the dock and bridge at Freshwater Hut in the background.



As the water opened up the driver sped up and we made good time.



The bay into which the river flows is a tidal basin and the driver told me that the whole area empties out every low tide. He said at low tide you could walk across the bay behind Debbie in the next picture.


The only town on Stewart Island is Oban. The town is built on a large bay with a smaller bay up over a steep hill. Needless to say the water taxi dropped us at the wharf on the smaller bay side and so with tired legs we climed the steep road over the hill to our hotel on the other side.


Hiking is thirsty work, as you can see.


The South Sea Hotel where we were staying is the only large-ish hotel on the island and we had booked a harbour view room. The rooms were well appointed though all of the rooms shared some common bathrooms and showers. The hotel is old and our room had a noticable slope to the floor. The room doors were peculiar as well since the doorknobs were located unusually high on the door. We assumed they were Hobbit proofing.


This was particularly strange since the lady running the reception desk couldn't have been more than 4 feet tall.

The restaurant in the hotel has a surprisingly good chef and the food was quite good. I appreciate that after a long hike, anything would seem good, but it was still quite tasty the next day. The first day Debbie had the Fish and Chips and I had a Blue Cheese Gnocci and the next day Debbie had the Seafood Chowder which was quite excellent and I had the Seafood Paella which was also very good. For us North Americans we expect our scallops to look a certain way, but this is how they really look.


I tried the orange bit on one of the scallops and it was a little "liver-y" in texture. I picked the rest off.

As I said above, we booked a harbour view room, but as it turns out, our room looked out onto a common balcony and as such afforded passers by a great view into our room. We kept the curtains drawn for most of our stay. We did, however take advantage of the balcony later in the evening.


And finally, here is a panorama of the waterfront taken from the balcony ouside our room at the hotel. The white/grey building centre left is the ferry terminal from which the ferry back to the mainland leaves. The giant chess board in the centre saw a surprising number of matches played while we were there.


Tomorrow, off to Ulva Island.


Don