A Kaka spying on us

February 24

Today we were flying from Wellington to Christchurch to Invercargill to Stewart Island.   There was a weight limit on the last flight so Fred and I rearranged our luggage accordingly.  We really were relying on karma for everything to go as planned. The Stewart Island flight was the last one of the day and if we missed that our only chance was to be able to make the 4:30 ferry from Bluff.  All went well returning the car.  Then I got a notice that our flight from Wellington to Christchurch was delayed 15 minutes. As we waited in the boarding area, it got further delayed to 35 minutes. We only had a 45-minute layover to begin with and that had whittled its way down to 10 now.  Finally we boarded. The flight crew was so relaxed and seemed in no hurry. I figured all hope was lost.

Stewart Island Flights

As we landed, they announced on the plane that Invercargill passengers would have sufficient time to connect. Apparently there were enough of us to warrant airport personnel to be stationed various places in the airport directing us, as gates weren’t close. I was very glad for the extra help. Between that and getting an email from our cat-sitter that Shadow was having issues, I was stressed.

We arrived at the tiny airport at Invercargill and had no problem finding the Stewart Island Airline counter.  Our flight luggage was within limits and the rest of our luggage was stored with them.

The flight was an adventure in itself.  It was a 10-seater plane.  Skies were clear and Stewart Island appeared almost mystically on the horizon, clouds around its perimeter.  You could clearly see the landing strip high in the hills and once we touched down, they loaded us up in a shuttle for the 5-minute drive to town.  While retrieving our luggage, Philippa, our host, greeted us and drove us to our cottage.

Tui

Turner Cottage was up a hill and then you had 50 steps (yes, I counted) to the cottage. Once again, I was blown away by how cute and secluded this was. It was another updated 1920’s cottage with wood floors and lots of charm.

Philippa gave us the lowdown on tracks and tours in the area. I asked her with one day there, between hiking from Maori Bay back to town or Ulva Island, which was the better pick. She suggested Ulva. Ian, her husband, is a sixth-generation Stewart Islander and runs a water-taxi service. I knew of the water-taxi service in advance and I asked Philippa if she could book us for the following morning with Ian to Ulva Island. Done deal!  Also on the agenda, was the night Kiwi-spotting tour tonight.

Golden Bay

Fred and I walked to the only grocery and stocked up for the next 2 nights.  Once those were unpacked at the cottage, we walked around and headed up to Observation Rock, which had a fabulous view!  Then we walked the Golden Bay/Deep Cove tracks.  A couple we met at Observation Rock told a Tui was on the trail.  We could hear him, but he was very elusive.

Kaka

Once back at the cottage, a friendly Kaka (a parrot), dropped down and perched himself on the back of the chair on our deck. We threw out a scrap of bread crust and he ate it, seemingly unafraid of us.

Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island

After dinner,  we made our way to the main jetty and boarded the Wildfire. There were 13 passengers in all. Fred and I stayed warm in the cabin and talked to a young couple from the UK who were here on working holiday for the past 2.5 years. They were currently earning wages milking cows. Also a woman from Christchurch joined us.  As we left the main bay, we could see an Albatross swaying gently in the boat’s air currents.

Once at our destination beach, it was a 15-minute walk in twilight and flat as can be, to Ocean Beach. Here, only the guide left his torch on and we followed closely behind as we traversed the beach. We were instructed to be totally quiet as the Kiwi are scared easily.

Kiwi

We saw 3 Kiwis in total. They are very solitary and were busy digging for food as we stood as close as 20 feet away.

February 25

This morning was windy and cold. It rained during the night and there were some lingering showers. It was not an inviting day to be outside and our water taxi was scheduled for a 10am pickup. We hoped for the best. I saw the airplane departing Stewart Island to the South Island and was glad we weren’t flying in that weather.

About 9:40am, we set off over the hill to Golden Bay. The clouds were breaking up but the wind really picked up on that side of the hill. Were we making a mistake?

Ian showed up and said there were two others he was waiting for. The boat really rocked and swayed in the water against the dock. He said it was a lot calmer at the island.

Oystercatchers

Thank goodness he was right.

Red-crowned Parakeet

At Ulva Island, it was unbelievably calm. The tracks are well defined and mostly in the bush. We saw several varieties of birds. The track is basically a figure 8, with a couple of spur tracks. We learned to tread softly and carry a large lens. 😉
At one time, we heard a bunch of chattering by a group of very social, small birds. We turned around to see and photo, their activity, and suddenly noticed a red-headed parakeet we had just walked right underneath!

Tomtit

Another time we approached two women who were entertaining, or being entertained, by a robin. Robins are different in NZ than in the US. They are small and mostly grey and white, and very friendly. These women taught us to sit down and scratch the soil to expose food for the robins. They’ll come right up to you.

South Island Robin

Then there was the friendly Weka at West End Beach….

We did the entire figure-8, with spurs, in time for a 12:45pm pickup (about 3 hours), and weren’t rushing.  For two people who consider themselves non-birders, we may have been converted. We thoroughly enjoyed Ulva Island!

Ian arrived promptly at the appointed time and after being taxied back, we went to the cottage and had lunch. Then we had an easy afternoon geocaching locally, taking us to tracks close to town.  The library in town offers free Wi-Fi and we took advantage of sitting on their deck, getting a signal to retrieve our email.

It was still cold, but sunny. When back at the cottage, a Kaka landed, yet again, on our outside chair. I fed him directly and Fred was lined up waiting for a good photo. But as soon as that little rascal had his food, he flew away.

We had an early dinner and headed to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and wandered out to the deck to look up at the incredible night sky.

The Adventure Continues>>>