The further south I go the colder the weather gets. I know that is obvious but still strange for me. Invercargill was a good town, with an industrial feel. I had prepared myself to go to Stewart Island for five or so days. I got all my gear packed for the trail and brought an extra pack wi clothes and food so that I could spend as little $ as possible. I caught the 11 am ferry across the ditch to Stewart Island. The ride was an hour long and the weather great. Some times we would hit the wake of oyster trawlers dragging nets collecting Bluff Oysters. By 1220 I had made it to the DOC office on the island to get hut passes for my trampping. I am sure I have explained this in the past but it bears worth repeating. Many of the traps/hikes in NZ have huts that are maintained either privately but mostly by the Department of Concervation (DOC). The huts have their own flair but Most provide a bunk, place to cook if not a kitchen with gas cookers, water (usually untreated rainwater, nothing a good boil can't fix) and some sort of heater. These cost money to stay in but it is nice to not carry a tent and some of the other equipment. I have stayed a few night in some of these huts and I have always enjoined them. It also gives you a chance to meet ant talk to other hikers. This trip I would be staying in 2 huts, they cost almost 4 times the normal price but it is only because the trail was dreamed one of eight "great walks" these are some of the best tramps in NZ and are very popular. So I get to the DOC office to book the huts for the next few nights. The person there informs me that I could start now and be at the firs hut in about 4 hours. I was not prepared to hit the trail right away, but what the heck, it's a pretty day I might as well start out. So after booking I had to change things around in my bag, like food and clothing for my new adventure. By 1:20 I was on the road walking toward the trail.
Stewart Island is a large nature reserve and has out lying islands that have some of the rarest bird species. So this is a very special place. It can also be a muddy swampy mess all over. Like, take your leg up to the hip in bog swamp. But my first day was on a great trail in the sunshine. There was not a cloud in the sky and if you let your mind wander you could believe that you were on a tropical island. I even got to a part of the trail where I had to hike on the beach, it was magical. The days walk was not so taxing and I settled into my first hut nicely and had leftovers from the night before. The next days hike was a fun 4.5 hour tramp in the trees, up and down hills with some muddy spots. I hiked that day with a friend from the Chech Republic, his name is Zbyneck, I called him Z. We walked and talked till we got to the hut. Once we got there I started splitting wood for the heater in the hut we were to stay at. I get cold so I like a big warm fire. We were joined in the hut that night by a young couple that swore that they were not dating and an older couple that were just wet blankets wrapped around sticks in the mud. The old man gave ma a hard time for staring a fire in the first place, because he was not cold. Everyone else liked the warmth so deal with it old man. ( I did not say that) eventually he passive aggressively opened the wood burning stove and threw in all of his tras and a few plastic bags. First this is not a trash incinerator, the plastic causes toxic fumes that will suck all the oxygen from the fire Ina small space and it gets sticky. As predicted this killed the fire but I started a bigger and better one an hour later. We talked and laughed until bed time. The next days hike was mellow. Z, Andrea, Florian, and I caught the same ferry back to the mainland together. We even spent the evening at the same holiday park in Invercargill, again laughing and talking till late. We went our separate ways in the morning but all in the same direction of Dunedin through the Caitlins. The Catlins is an area of the south east coast with rolling hills, rugged coastlines and a rainforest. I drove slowly along taking pictures and looking at wildlife. I got to see seagulls but no penguins. I breezed into Dunedin on the coattails of a hail storm. So far the weather has been awesome and clear. I have taken a guided tour of the Speights brewery, played some disc golf, and driven all over the place. That's how I figured out that I need to replace my brakes, yeah! Dunedin is Gaelic for little edenbrough, like Scotland. It is an old town with cathedrals and beautiful beaches. This place is on a peninsula and get lots of ocean swells making Dunedin a surf Mecca of sorts in NZ. The water is cols thus the air temp is very cold. I plan on sticking around here for a few more days and seeing some music on Saturday night. I was told of this show by 2 separate sources so I will be there and happy. I really miss being on a trail so as soon as I get out of here I will be hiking and staying in more huts. The winter is coming but I want to play as much as I can till it shows up. I send all who read this my love and hope you will pass that love on to others. Have a great day because I will be trying to do the same. Pura Vida!
