New Zealand 24/02/26

Raikura Track, day 3

The heavy rain didn't arrive until the evening and it poured down discouraging me from going out to look for wet kiwis.

Fallen tree but still is growing 

The morning however was perfect, blue sky and a light wind. I woke before it was light and heard Kiwi all around but I couldn't convince myself to get up and try to find one, the sound of all the wildlife was perfectly satisfying.

Sawdust Bay 

It was a relatively short walk today and I pushed on along the path that stayed close to the coast for a while before heading over the hills to Oban.

Another view of Sawdust Bay

It was all in the bush on a mainly good track and by the time I reached the road my feet were still relatively dry.

Stewart Island inlets from the Islander

My brother Allan is in hospital in London and when I got to Oban I looked at changing flights to get back to see him.

Tiny plane

It was all much more straightforward than I expected and I got a flight from Oban to Invercargill on the little eight seater Islander aircraft.

Invercargill 

At Invercargill I was able to transfer to a flight to Christchurch where I had a connection to Aukland.

One of the big rivers that I had to detour round 

A stay at an airport hotel and I fly out tomorrow to London via George Bush airport.

I will be heading for Skye and the TGO Challenge at the end of April. More adventures to come 😃

New Zealand 23/02/26

Raikura Track, day 2 

It was a beautiful morning, unfortunately I didn't see any kiwis last night but the stars were amazing in the perfectly clear sky.

Morning 

I set off late enough for the tent to dry out as it was only a short day through the bush on a mostly good path although there was some good squelchy mud as well.

Good path

Bad path

Nothing of note today, there were no views only bush of various density.

Hauling engine (new protective cover)

There were the remains of two old hauling engines that had been left in the bush when the logging stopped.

Open bush

I did get a fleeting glimpse of a deer and there were a few Fantails flitting about, delightful little birds.

Campsite 

I arrived at the North Arm campsite and had my pick of the camp spots, sandy flat bits in the bush, near the fine cooking shelter.

Inside the cooking shelter 

I got myself sorted out and had some soup before it started to rain. The warden appeared and said that it was supposed to chuck it down in the late afternoon also that I had actually picked the best spot!

Log hauling details 

There was a young German lad at the campsite who is cycling around the world and taking a trip to Stewart Island (without the bike on this part). He managed to see a kiwi last night, I'm jealous! 

If I wake up I'll go on another kiwi hunt tonight.

New Zealand 22/02/26

 Rakiura track day 1

It was a nasty night, pouring rain and very windy but it started to improve early in the day and by 09.30 there was no rain and patches of blue sky.

Leaving Oban

I decided to walk the three day Rakiura track, one of the 'Great Walks' and the only one on Stewart Island, rather than the ten day circuit of the island that I had originally thought of.

Chain sculpture at the start of the path

Horseshoe Bay 

The long route is nearly all mud and tree roots and I had enough of that in the Longwoods and the thought of starting with ten days food didn't encourage me either.

Well maintained path 

The first section of today's walk was on the road which was very pleasant after a second breakfast and coffee in the village.

Horseshoe Bay 

The birds were singing and there were some lovely views of the coast.

Sea view 

The path started through a giant chain sculpture and continued round the coast, sometimes in the bush climbing around headlands at other times on the beach itself.

Bridge at the end of Maori Beach

Past a nice little campsite at Maori Beach where there was part of an old boiler and engine that drove a sawmill and over a suspension bridge to climb steeply, aided by steps, over the next headland to Magnetic Beach and the Port William campsite.

Sawmill remains 

Campsite 

New Zealand 21/02/26

Stewart Island 

A great stay at Bluff Lodge for the last couple of days, well fed, rested and ready for more adventures.

Bluff Lodge

I caught the ferry to Oban, the only town on Stewart Island, a rather bumpy one hour crossing.

Not much of a view from inside the ferry 

The weather was good when I arrived but I thought it best to go to the campsite and set up my tent before I did anything else just in case!

Oban campsite 

Lunch first in a nice café before heading to the museum which was worth visiting but not exciting.

A 'bomb' harpoon 

I then went for a walk around the area to see the sights. I didn't have to go far before I was in the bush.

Golden bay

Good paths around Oban

Oban, Halfmoon Bay

I found a sea kayak place and may well try it out after my three day walk. There is also a stone carving workshop, looks interesting.

An interesting bit of information at the museum (click on the picture to enlarge)

New Zealand 19-20/02/26

Bluff

I spent the day relaxing, reading and washing all my clothes before visiting the maritime museum.

Royal visit in 1953

A very interesting museum with a lot of information about the local area as well as ship and boat displays.

Nice old 'colonial' house 

There are a lot of painted walls around Bluff

Bluff developed around the harbour and oyster fisheries and is still a major port for the export of timber and container traffic.

Ocean Beach meat processing plant in its prime 

The present harbour area was constructed, starting in 1952, on a man made island which was built on a shallow area just off the coast. There is a big aluminum smelter on the other side of the inlet as well that uses electricity from the Manapouri power plant and bauxite imported from Australia to produce some of the best quality aluminum in the world and employs a large number of people although that is liable to close within the next ten years.

A Norwegian Praam dinghy in the museum 

The enormous Ocean Bay slaughter house and meat packing plant closed in 1991 with the loss of 1450 jobs, which obviously contributed in a big way to the decline of the town.

One of the steam engines from the tug 'Awarua'

Oysters continue to be a big seasonal industry in the area. In

More timber for export

There is fascinating artists shop/studio called Jimi Rabbitz which was never open when I was there but let contains a lot of papier mashe figures. I was told that the artist rarely opens the shop and she doesn't really like selling anything.

A good meal in the restaurant and I'm off to Stewart Island in the morning.

Te Araroa 18/02/26

Day 150, Bluff to Stirling Point (3058, THE END)

  It was still a grey morning but at least there was no rain and visibility much better than yesterday.

Timber and wood chips at Bluff

I had to walk out of Bluff back to where the trail turns off the road to go round the West Coast before climbing over the hill and dropping down to Sterling Point.

West coast of Bluff hill

It got brighter and warmer as the morning progressed but the sun didn't appear. There was no wind and only small waves breaking on the shore.

Calm Tasman sea

The climb up and over the of the hill is on a good gravel path through the bush with steps in places, rather different to the Longwoods!

Steps up the hill

The hill was used for coastal defences during the last war and there are some remains left.

Old gun emplacement 

I soon arrived at Stirling Point at the end of the trail and also the end of state highway one. Lots of people and campers, very different to Cape Reinga at the start. 

At the end

There was a French cyclist at the sign who had also done the whole route and we took each other's photos as all the Aisians were too busy taking selfies.

The sign

The sandflies were having a nice time so I nipped into the overpriced cafe to escape. I did have a nip from a rather nice miniature of New Zealand Whisky, that I bought yesterday, to celebrate before going in.

Celebrating with El Tejido 

I met Pete and Dean in Bluff later in the day and we all celebrated in the evening. Charlie, Megan and Eve also finished today but somehow I missed them, very annoying.