Stewart Island Bays and Pub Tours

I decided to go to Stewart Island on a whim. Several people had suggested it, to which I said, "what's cool to do there?" I never really got a full answer, just that it was a cool place to go to. While in Bluff, I was very disappointed to here that I wouldn't find any Bluff oysters to speak of. Though the oystering season isn't over until the 31st of August, all the commercial fishermen have filled their quotas and so I could not find a one!

I hoped that Stewart Island would prove more fruitful and decided to transfer my goal in eating oysters to Stewart Island. After all, the fishermen from Bluff often fished in the same areas as those from Stewart Island.

So after a one-hour rollercoaster ride across the Foveaux Strait on a catamaran, I arrived on the anchor of New Zealand (will explain at a later date). It's a charming place. I went to my backpackers and settled in. It was very rainy so I didn't venture out much except to go to the one supermarket on the island and then the booking office where I wanted to ask about tours around the island and a trip to Ulva Island, a bird sanctuary a short boat ride away.

I asked the very nice people at the Stewart Island Experience office where I could find someone who would take me out oystering. I was duly pointed to the one and only pub/bar on the island, the South Sea Hotel. I was told to go there that night and ask around.

The South Sea Hotel -the southern most pub in New Zealand (I've now seen the northern most pub and the southern most pub in this country! see Kaitaia entry)

That evening I walked into the pub on my own and as I was getting myself a drink, I asked the bartender where I could find someone to go oystering with. She pointed me towards an inebriated man with silver-colored hair: Jack. I was immediately invited to join the group and we chatted, them asking me questions, me emboldened by their affability and asking whether an oystering expedition would be possible. I was answered with a vague "yes", which I took to be a good sign. I stayed several hours, talking to all sorts of people, getting the full effect of an island inhabited by 400 people who all meet at the pub at some point or another. A really close-knit community of people who love to laugh, drink and play. It was really a wonderful experience.

A sign put up in the bar about 20 years ago. I love it!

The next day I took the Bays and City Tour. I was the only one on the bus and the driver was a very nice man who stopped the bus whenever I wanted to take a picture. Here is what this beautiful island looks like.

Some cool sculptures made of wood
Baby seal

Crayfish pots

Lee Bay
Rimu Tree
They used to use this telephone (wind-up) to make urgent phone calls. Isn't it cute!

Below: Horseshoe Bay

It was a nice tour. I had a good time and the sky cleared up nicely enough for me to take some good pictures.

That night, I went back to the pub to get a more definitive affirmation on going oystering the next day. Jack was there again, everyone was inebriated but he remembered me and did agree to take me out the next day. I was to go to Ulva Island in the morning and would meet him at the dock in the afternoon to go oystering. Maria, one of the women at the backpackers decided to come along.

That night we met a group of guys from DOC (Department of Conservation) who were really cool. Andrew, a sort of newbie to the area (coming from the mainland) wanted us to try "paua guts", a local shot. Always up for new experience, I accepted.

Paua guts (made with Opal Nera and Baileys)

I'll explain about Paua soon. Much more to see and do in Stewart Island

Bluff and the Muttonbird

When I was living in Wellington, I was told to go to Bluff, one of the southern most towns in New Zealand. I was told to have Bluff oysters (reportedly the best oysters in New Zealand) and muttonbird, a traditional Maori delicacy. It is the eating of the baby shearwater bird. We don't eat the adults. There is a season for muttonbird, but like with the whitebait, I hoped to find someone who could allow me to taste some.

From Queenstown, I booked my ticket to Bluff. The very nice woman helping me called a friend in Bluff who told her that it had been a terrible season for muttonbird and that there were very few in the area this year. I was told not to expect to find any unless a local would be willing to part with his or her precious few.

I was a bit disappointed, but figured if I can't have muttonbird, then at least I'll have Bluff oysters. When I got to the backpackers in Bluff, I was the only person staying there. I guess no one really wants to stay the night in such a sleepy little town. It was surprising how empty it seemed. As I walked along the main street, out of the 30 or so storefronts, only about 5 of them were occupied, the rest looked like a ghost town.

I went into a bar to enquire about muttonbird and oysters and was told that the season was so bad for muttonbird that one of the woman's friends had only gotten 12 buckets of them. It sounded like a lot to me, until she told me that last year he had gotten 80 buckets!

Anyway, I spoke to the owner of the backpackers about wanting to try those two things while I was down here. He revealed that he had some muttonbird in the freezer and would cook up some for dinner. I was so excited! I was finally going to taste the mysterious muttonbird!

Below: What it looks and tastes like

Below: Part two...tasting it

Milford Sound

I went on a full day tour of Milford Sound last Monday, the 20th of July (wow, it feels like so long ago, so much has happened since!). I was told it was one of the most beautiful places in the world. In reality, part of what made it so beautiful was the actual drive up there. We had a cool driver who stopped several times on the road to let us out and take pictures. It was a wonderfully sunny day.

First we stopped at a bird sanctuary, but in truth we only saw pukekos and takahes. I had never seen a takahe before so I was a little shocked to see the one below.

Below: Video of Alpine the Takahe

It's only after seeing her that I saw the sign that accompanied her.



I don't know if it made me feel better or worse! In any case, it certainly made me laugh. The way she's described is precious and true!


It was a very cold day!


As we drove along, we stopped at the Mirror Lakes, obvious name!

Mirror Lakes

Mirror Lakes

Before heading through the tunnel and then going downhill amongst beautiful mountains greeting us with tons of little waterfalls from snow melts, we met some keas, the world's only alpine parrots. They have no fear!

Below: Meet the keas!

Afterwards, we stopped at the Chasm, a short walk into the gorgeous rainforest.










Below: Vid of Chasm

By the time we got to Milford Sound, I was already full of the beauty and nature I had seen around me. The cruise was more like icing on the cake.

Below: The start of the cruise

Multi-colored stone deposits


Reminiscent of the Crossing


There are hundreds of waterfalls like this in the Sound

There are only about 30 sunny days in the Sound per year, so though it was sunny before we went through the tunnel, it was overcast by the time we got to the Sound

Fur seal diving

Can you spot the rock called Lizard Rock?

Below: Crazy captain and his sadistic obsession with the waterfall (I'm complaining because I was the stupid one who stayed outside the whole time and subsequently got wet!)

Haunting images in the water
Heading back

Below: Surprise in the water!

Below: A final farewell to Milford Sound

Hope you liked the tour!

Waka - Che Fu

Che Fu is a very successful hip-hop and R&B artist from good old Aotearoa! Enjoy. This vid dates back to 1998.

Queenstown

Moss-covered tree

On my way to Queenstown from Fox Glacier, we crossed over the Southern Alps. During our descent into the valley and region of Queenstown, I noticed for the first time the distinct "Lord of the Rings" feel permeating the air. Everywhere I looked had a dark, eerie and mysteriously beautiful quality to it.

Upon arriving in Queenstown, I was really unprepared for this bustling town choc-full of people dressed in snow gear carting around skis and snowboards. I felt like a fish out of water. I was probably the only person in the whole town who wasn't there for winter sports.

Most of the tourists were from Australia on a university ski trip. Other tourists were from North America or Europe and had come to New Zealand just for the skiing or snowboarding. It amazed me that they had been there for 2 months and had seen nothing else besides the mountains. To travel across the globe only to slide down a snow-covered mountain for 4 months is beyond my comprehension, but they loved it there, so I can only assume that it's good ski country. For those snow bunnies out there, Queenstown is a prime destination for you!

I stayed at a backpackers above Queenstown, giving us an unobstructed view of the mountains and the lake that dominate Queenstown. Unfortunately I didn't take the video when the weather was clear and you could see the Remarkables (chain of mountains called so because they are the only other chain of mountains besides the Rockies that point directly North/South), but it's still an awesome view.

Below: View from Scallywags Backpackers (I said Queensland instead of Queenstown in the video. Apologies!)

I've been in New Zealand for 11 months now (and time is running out!) and during that time I have never seen a live possum. They are considered very annoying pests here and are hunted and killed. All the possums I've seen have been crushed on the roads so imagine my joy in seeing Ollie, the resident possum at Scallywags (his family has been coming around for a few generations) come out for a feed (kiwiism) one night. He very politely let me take tons of pictures of him with a flash as well as a video (which was unfortunately too dark to post). How cute is he?

Ollie the Possum

Wish I had more pictures of Queenstown but the weather was so awful that I couldn't bring myself to walk out in the pouring cold rain and take pictures in those conditions. I guess laziness caught up with me.

Fox Glacier

Afternoon sky in Fox Glacier village

I arrived at Fox Glacier on Wednesday the 15th of July. The air was fresh and you could finally see the snow-capped mountains close-by instead of far off in the distance. It was drizzling on and off, but surprisingly not really cold. The wind was down and the mist swirled around in a mysterious blanket.

Fox Glacier is one of just a few glaciers in the world that are still advancing, while most are retreating due to temperature changes and natural recessions. It has been advancing since 1985, at 10 times the rate of other valley glaciers around the world, to the rate of 1 meter a week. It is located in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and forms part of the South Westland World Heritage Area.

Fox Glacier was named by former Kiwi Prime Minister, Sir William Fox, in 1872. Not a very modest man! I was told by Kiwis and foreigners alike that of the two glaciers in this region, Fox and Franz Josef, Fox had smaller group tours and was a better glacier to go to.

So I decided to do the tour called Fox It Up, which is an 8-9 hour day trip up on the ice where you learn to do some ice climbing with crampons and ice picks and everything! Cliffhanger watch out! It was an amazing day! I'll stop with the writing and let you enjoy the pictures and videos. I highly recommend this!

Rock Flour turns this pool of water a powdery blue. This happens when the glacier's pressure on the rocks beneath grinds the rock into a powder. When light passes through the water, you get these brilliant colors.

Cliffs surrounding the glacier

There are tons of little waterfalls in the mountains surrounding the glacier. We had a rest and a drink at this one.

Fox Glacier behind me

Rock Fallout. It's quite dangerous around the glacier because without warning boulders will come tumbling down the mountains.

Glacier with Mount Tasman (I think!) in the background

Glacier valley. The glacier has advanced and retreated along this path for thousands of years.

Ice sculptures

Preparing for my first climb

Below: A video of me ice climbing for the first time. Ahh! Watch at your own discretion.

I made it!

Rappelling down

So, I was pretty surprised to find out how much climbing we would actually do! We did 4 climbs. I did the first and second ones, but on the second one, I almost didn't make it. My arms were cramped up into claws clutching the picks and I was not able to release my hold on them and grip them more lightly. As a result, I was in a lot of pain, but I did make it up. Denis, our guide, said it was a common thing for people to depend much more on their arms than their feet. Of course it it! I don't trust two little picks on the ends of each shoe to hold me up! No way man! Hence, the cramping.

As a result, I didn't do the third climb because my arms were still shaking and I was just getting them to stop cramping. The fourth climb was the hardest but I only did about half of it, high enough to do the show off pose! But I did struggle at times! Watch the vid below.

Below: last climb

Below: Setting up for the big pose

4th climb. Now I'm just showing off!

Ice-filled wonderland

Below: Ice cave vid

Double entrance ice cave. Aren't the striations just absolutely amazing?!

View from the cave looking out

A blue world

Below: Evening view of the glacier

Vanilla chocolate swirl ice cream in the foreground and bubble gum ice cream in the distance

What animal can you see in the ice?

Group picture as we're heading back

Evening view on the valley from the ice

p.s. On the night of the 15th of July, an earthquake registered at 7.8 shook up the South Island. The epicenter was at Dusky Sound at the southwestern tip of the island. People in Fox and Franz Josef glaciers felt it. Everyone, that is, except for me! Can't figure out where I was at that time! It was the biggest earthquake of the year worldwide and the biggest one in New Zealand in 80 years! No one was hurt, but the end of the South Island moved 12 inches (30 centimeters) closer to Australia. Interesting...