Friday 19th March

We awoke to a fine sunny but very windy morning. Knowing that we were going on the ferry across to Stewart Island led Liz to a little trepidation. Having departed Bluff, and as suspected, the sea was rough with the boat rolling sharply from side to side. Liz was very pleased to be able to put feet on terra firma an hour later on Stewart Island. The island measures about 60kms x 40kms, but only a very small area around the harbour at Oban has habitation and roads. We went on a bus trip which gave us a very good idea of island life. The resident population is about 400 but this increases in the summer with visitors to around a 1000. The terrain is hilly and there is one mountain of 950 metres. There are also some lovely sandy beaches.
At midday we went on a trip by boat around some of the local coast and islands nearby. This was when we had the opportunity to see at very close quarters the albatrosses. There were also many other types of seabirds which we saw including a glimpse of 4 penguins despite it being their moulting season when they are usually hiding inland. This trip also included a walk on an island which has been cleared of all pests, so we got a chance to see some of the native birds which are quite tame; the NZ robin (white breast) was quite a poser!
On our return to Oban we were supposed to go on an underwater explorer cruise, but unfortunately the sea was too rough and it would have been too murky to see anything.
The sea was calmer by the evening so the ferry back was a bit more comfortable, although still bumpy.