Stewart Island

I was greeted by lovely Rosemary and Merv Taiaroa. They're the grandparents of Marco, a friend who had visited me in Germany earlier this year. I had never met them before but they were so welcoming and friendly that I immediately felt comfortable. After picking me up from the ferry they drove me up to Observation Rock so I could get a first impression of this beautiful place.
They lived in the only township of the island, Oban, and their house had a huge terrace and pretty garden. Every evening a Kaka, a big parrot, came to visit and ate a piece of apple out of my hand. The birds in general were really impressive and sang very loudly!

In the evening Rosemary's sister Wendy came over and together we watched the famous All Blacks playing Rugby against the South African Springboks. It was a great victory for us and I think I finally understood at least some of the rules...
For the next day they had arranged for me to join a group of biologists on a research excursion to Ulva Island. I learned a lot from them and we saw robins, a wood pigeon, Wekas and a saddleback.

Robin

Weka

James, our team leader

Wood Pigeon

 

After dinner we all went together to the weekly Quiz Night at the only bar they have. We actually got 3rd at the end of the day although I hadn't really been able to help them. I could answer music and maths questions but they did the rest of them. I was really proud of us!
The next day Rosemary and Merv took me to pretty much every shop in the village and introduced me to all the locals and shop owners. As beautiful as it is, I don't think I could live in such a small place permanently but for the moment it was great to have so many new contacts.
After having lunch at the bar the two of them showed me Rakiura Museum. They were guardians there so we could just go there although it was closed for the public. It was a nice little walk through history and definitely worth the while. On our way back we stopped by the greenstone factory. They asked me to sing for them and as thank-you he gave me a small piece of beautiful green jade.

The anchor that connects Stewart Island to the South Island of New Zealand - at least in the Maori legend.

At 9 pm I got ready for a little hike again to try and see a wild kiwi in the dark and Merv accompanied me because he feared I'd get lost. So nice of him! We didn't see anything but a rat though so after an hour walking through the bush we returned home.
The next morning I hiked a bit further, down to Golden Bay, Wohler's Memorial, the old stonehouse and Ackers Point Lighthouse. It didn't take too long and I even went geocaching along the way. It was a nice and easy walk and I fed another Kaka with the apple I had with me. Once at the lighthouse I almost fell asleep on the rocks. I felt like a seal lying there and relaxing in the sun.

In the afternoon I took a short trip to Bathing Beach and then went to look for a kiwi again, without luck. But going on a guided tour would have been too expensive so I had to give up my search.

We spent my last morning on the island with a visit to Church Hill and the restaurant where my friend Marco used to work. I finally found someone who would have gone snorkeling with me even in this cold weather but by now I only had a few hours left. So we continued to a small cabin in the middle of the woods and a huge whale jaw the government had buried there. They wanted to wait until the worms had eaten all the flesh off it and then sell it to bone carvers for a very high price. The size was really impressive!

Then it was time to say goodbye to Wendy and Merv gave me a big Paua shell and a pocket knife as presents. I had really grown to like them a lot and I felt sorry to leave so early. For me Stewart Island had been a place to rest and regenerate and I had enjoyed every single minute there.