Stewart Island

Stewart Island, a small island south of New Zealand's South Island, is our destination for the next few days. We have booked a room in a small hotel and want to explore the island through hikes. After a quick breakfast coffee, we drive the 260 km to Invercargill in the morning. The airport is not too large (one baggage claim at least), there are various domestic flights, but you can also fly to Stewart Island in 20 minutes with a small plane. The ticket costs $256, the ferry would have cost $250, so the decision to fly wasn't hard. Onan (460 residents) greets us with (still) good weather, we check into the hotel and buy some supplies at the only supermarket, then we set off on a small hike. Ferns and palms line the path, interspersed with large trees of all kinds. Unfortunately, we won’t see any penguins or kiwis, but one of the many rat traps is filled. The trail alternates between riverbanks and forest sections, and beach areas can be glimpsed through the trees. In the evening, we have an instant soup and go to bed early. On Sunday, we will hike a longer route, totaling about 18 km by the end. We walk past nice beach houses to the starting point of the Rakiura Track in Lee Bay, and then follow a portion of the track along the shore. Light rain begins to fall, fitting for the rainforest, but we are somewhat sheltered by the tall trees. Over the Garden Mound, we traverse through the hinterland to another section of the shore, which eventually leads us back into civilization. In the evening, we enjoy fish and chips at the hotel, very tasty. The next morning, we fly back to Invercargill on the first flight, this time the flight is a bit bumpy, the plane makes small jumps up and down in the gusts, but the landing is butter smooth. On the way back, we pass through Invercargill and stop for a coffee at E Hayes Tools, a small general store with household items and tools, but it also hosts a café and some old motorcycles. We continue through gentle hilly landscapes back to Wanaka, and in the afternoon we return the rental car. Meanwhile, the workshop has also left a message that the spare part is ready for pickup. The new MAF is quickly installed, the first start attempt is still a bit shaky, but then the engine runs steadily and the throttle response works again. Apparently, everything is okay again; a short test drive for shopping goes smoothly. Next, we drive to the west coast and continue north.