Sunday, 12 October 2025
I downed a ‘Sea Legs’ tab with breakfast this morning, just to be on the safe side. From our hotel room I couldn’t really tell how windy it was, but decided that it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst.
We reconciled some of our luggage last night, deciding that some of the items that have exploded out of our cases since we picked up the hire car, could stay in the car in Bluff for the next two days. We made sure we had all our wet/cold weather gear in our cases and put aside a few non-essentials (NOT going to be wearing sandals or thongs on Stewart Island!) to fit them in.
Arriving in Bluff, the sun was shining but, unfortunately, the wind was still blowing. Maybe not quite as strongly as yesterday?? We dragged our cases to the ferry terminal, checked in and then deposited our luggage into a container to be loaded onto the deck of the ferry.
Shortly before departure time, the doors were opened and we made our way onboard the Stewart Island Ferry. We were last on due to the IT Guy trying to work out what is wrong with my phone? No data since yesterday evening for some reason. Maybe the last iOS update? The IT guy was muttering about maybe having to reset my phone to the last version of iOS as we were going on board. So, being last on, everyone had rushed to fill the front seats. We settled into a seat in the last row and were happy enough that we had still managed a window seat.
Just before we cast off, the captain got on the PA and suggested that everyone might want to sit as far to the back of the boat as possible. He warned that we would be crossing with a 30 knot wind, gusting between 40-48 knots AND we would be running against the tide and we were going to be tossed around. That’s OK, we’re already sitting in the back row so, as it turns out, we had chosen exactly the right seats to be in today. Yesterday it was an 80 kph wind with gusts up to 100 kph. Bernie is just doing the maths. Apparently one knot is 1.852 kph so … the wind is blowing at about 55 kph today. Slightly better than yesterday.
Well, the going was rough indeed. I imagine it was quite like being an item in a washing machine with waves breaking over the boat regularly and water sheeting down the windows. You’re supposed to keep your eye on the horizon to make sea travel more comfortable. Ahem, it was hard to see the horizon with waves breaking over the boat and down in the troughs between swells, all we could see was whitecaps.
We both managed the crossing without losing our breakfast thank goodness. I don’t know if I needed to take that sea sickness tablet with breakfast but … I was glad that I did. It helped psychologically knowing that I had prepared for a rough trip. I’ll never know if it actually prevented me from being ill?? The guy sitting in front of us had sweat pouring down the back of his neck. It seemed he wasn’t travelling well and, sure enough, about two thirds in he had to use a bag. Fortunately, even being so close to someone losing his breakfast, I was OK. I have never been travel sick but this particular ferry crossing has quite a reputation.
We arrived in Oban at 10.45am and stepped down onto the wharf in Half Moon Bay. Only a few minutes later the luggage containers were craned onto the wharf and then forked around to the luggage collection area. We were met by a driver who took us straight up the The Bay Motel where we will be staying for the next two nights. As we drove up the hill, it was chucking it down, but it eased off in time for us to unload our cases from the back of the van. It’s that sort of a day. Generally overcast, alternating with brief sunny periods and heavy downpours. A bit like Melbourne??!
Around noon we wandered down to the Four Square supermarket where we bought sandwiches and crisps for lunch. We walked across to the Oban Visitor Centre to browse the gift shop while we waited for our 1.00pm Stewart Island Tour. While we were waiting the IT Guy continued to ruminate about the problem with my phone. He checked the Telstra app on his phone and discovered that … I used my whole data allowance yesterday, so I don’t have any data until my Telstra International Roaming Day Pass renews at 2.50pm today!! Bernie usually buys an e-sim when we travel overseas so we’re a bit vague about how the Telstra Day Pass works. We have a better idea now! Actually, Bernie tells me he knew EXACTLY how it works, he just can’t understand how I used two gig of data yesterday??!! I think I may have looked at Google Maps and didn’t close the app so it was gobbling data most of yesterday afternoon?
Our driver, Rhys, arrived just before 1.00pm and the four of us booked on the tour today boarded the bus. Rhys drove us to just about all of the points of interest that are accessible by road here on Stewart Island. With most of the island designated as the Rakiura National Park, and only accessible on foot, the driving tour only covers a few places: Observation Rock Viewpoint looking over Golden Bay and Paterson Inlet to Ulva Island, Lonnekers Beach, Horsehoe Bay and Lee Bay where Te Puka – the anchor stone – and Rakiura National Park Gateway are located. The anchor stone memorialises the Maori legend that it is Stewart Island that anchors the north and south islands to stop them from floating away. The tour includes a couple of short walks and it was frustrating that the on again, off again showers hampered those somewhat.
At the conclusion of the tour we were dropped off at the South Sea Hotel where the other couple (much older than us!) were staying. He couldn’t stretch the drop off service to take us up the hill so we had to choose between walking up to the Bay Motel in the rain or waiting it out in the pub. The pub won with Bernie having a beer while I enjoyed a hot (OK, warmish) cappuccino.
When the rain stopped we walked up the hill to spend a lazy couple of hours in our room. Wouldn’t you know it, it was probably the longest dry stretch we had all day. We should have tried to get motivated to hike somewhere. There’s no shortage of short walks to do – you don’t have to commit to one of the multi-day hikes that people flock here to undertake.
Just before 5.00pm Bernie walked down to the Kai Kart fish ‘n’ chip caravan which was recommended by Rhys. He claimed it would be the freshest, tastiest blue cod and chips we would get anywhere in New Zealand. The fish and chips were delicious and proved to be a quick and easy meal before heading off on the Stewart Island Wild Kiwi Encounter.
After our early dinner we walked down to the Stewart Island Ferry Visitor Terminal for the designated 6.00pm arrival time for a 6.30pm departure. A-ha, the ferry does double duty as a tour boat. The ferry came in, unloaded the visitors on the afternoon service from Bluff and then loaded us on. All six of us! When Captain Phil introduced the crew and guides, there were four of them: Annalise, Charlie, Jen and Harry. Almost a crew member each. Usually the tour would only have two crew/guides but tonight we had two trainees along.
We headed out of Halfmoon Bay and visited a few of the small islands in Foveaux Strait. The names were mentioned, but I didn’t make notes and it’s late as I write this and I can’t be bothered using Google to try and remember them all. Crusing around the islands close to Stewart Island we were lucky enough to see: a pair of Fiordland crested penguins, seals, an albatross (unfortunately not a royal albatross but a smaller relative), a sea lion and a couple of different species of cormorants.
Captain Phil then docked the boat so that we could alight for the main event, tramping through the podocarp forest in the rain looking for kiwis by torchlight. Dressed in warm and waterproof clothing this was not as unpleasant as it sounds! Especially when we were rewarded with two really good sightings of these funny little birds very soon after leaving the boat.
They are much bigger than you think. We watched a video before we left the boat and learnt that an adult kiwi is big enough to fight off one of those terrible possums introduced from Oz if they try to invade a burrow. We were so lucky to see two kiwis fossicking around in the leaf litter with their echidna-like beaks that they stab into the soil sniffing for worms and other tasty tucker. They put their whole body weight into getting their beak in as deep as they need to, to get their worm! The only problem with two early sightings was that we then continued to tramp around in the wet for another half an hour or so, for no further reward. We were happy though, it was our most successful birding expedition so far on this holiday.
Eventually we rejoined the boat where hot beverages and biscuits were on offer. After our light supper, Captain Phil motored us directly back to the Halfmoon Bay Wharf. We disembarked in light drizzle but this deteriorated to rain as we walked back up the hill to our room in the dark. A good evening despite the weather.
Steps: 12,768 (7.82kms)
