Wednesday 22nd April
Today I got up nice and early, went to the cafe, had a hot chocolate and then I went to the information centre to start my “Village and Bays Tour”. Basically you take a mini bus around Stewart Island and the driver does a little commentary, telling you all about the different places you visit. It’s quite a short tour; it lasts for about an hour and a half, because Stewart Island is so small. Also, there isn’t a lot of road – I think there is only about 27 kilometres of road on the entire island – I’m not sure, I should really check that, but you get the picture, there isn’t a lot of road! We stopped off at a few beaches, hence the Bay part of the tour title – they were actually really nice. We had a decent enough day for the tour, but if you ever have the chance to go to Stewart Island during the summer then do, because it is really beautiful! The driver also told us a lot about the people that live on the island; it’s actually really nice to hear a bit about the locals. Everybody knows everybody on Stewart Island – probably because there is a population of about 400! There is only one Policeman on the island and there’s pretty much no crime – what a cushy job! There also isn’t a doctor on the island, but there are two fully trained nurses and you can get to the mainland fairly quickly if you get really sick. Stewart Island is really popular for hikers, you can go on trips that last for a few days or a few weeks! It would have been nice to do some “tramping”, that’s what they call it, but I didn’t have enough time and I was still getting over the flu!
After our little bus tour I went on another tour, this one was called the “Pattersons Inlet Cruise” and it was actually really good! Basically it takes you from Stewart Island to a few of the surrounding islands, they do a running commentary and tell you all about the surrounding islands and what they are used for. A lot of the islands down here are bird sanctuaries because there are so many flipping birds in New Zealand! We were actually really lucky, we saw some Penguins! I was actually ridiculously happy about that – I love Penguins and I really wanted to see some when I was in New Zealand, so I was really glad that it happened! They are really tiny and there were only about 5 or 6 Penguins – we couldn’t get too close because they were scared of the boat, but you could see their little heads looking around and watching the boat! It was really hard to get pictures, but I got a few! After we saw the Penguins we saw some Dolphins! I’m all about the Dolphins these days! I think we are kindred spirits... I’m really at one with the Animal Kingdom these days. I would love to be a Zoologist or something like that, but I’m not smart enough/I’m too lazy to actually work for anything. After the Dolphins we just cruised around for a bit, saw some more beautiful islands and I had the desire to learn how to sail. I would love to live down here and then I could just get into my little boat and I could just sail around all the beautiful islands and have little picnics on the beach and I could go swimming with my Dolphin and Penguin friends!
After cruising about for a while we stopped off at a place called Ulva Island. Ulva Island used to be where the Post Office was – a little man and his wife were the only people to live here and every 6-8 weeks the post used to be delivered to Ulva Island. Then the little man would hoist a flag and the people who lived on Stewart Island and the surrounding islands would know that the post had arrived. Because it was such a special occasion everyone would get dressed up and then they would go collect their post and have a bit of a goss! The Post Office was in operation until quite recently, well not that recently, I think it stopped about 50 years ago, but I’m not actually sure, I wasn’t really listening... We stopped on Ulva Island and then went for a walk, saw some cool bird – we saw a relative of the Kiwi and a few cool looking Pigeons. My favourite was a little Robin! But it wasn’t like a regular Robin, it was all Black with a White chest! How cool is that! It was also really friendly – it got really close to me and I was clearing the leaves from the ground so it could find food easily – again, I am at one with the Animal Kingdom. We also saw a really cool green parrot – it probably has some fancy name, but it was just a cool looking bird. The beaches on Ulva Island are also really pretty, so it was definitely worth the trip! On the way back to Stewart Island we saw some Seals which was really cool too... Oh, we also saw loads of Albatross, which I was really happy about! One of the crew members was feeding them from the back of the boat – he was throwing them dead fish and they were getting really close to the boat. I’ve always wanted to see Albatross – it all began with “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”! Does anyone remember studying that poem at G.C.S.E? Good times! Nothing beats a bit of Epic Poetry! I took quite a few pictures of them, I think I got a few good ones, but it’s difficult when there flying all over the place! Then we headed back to Stewart Island! I was really glad I did this trip, I was a bit worried about going on the boat again, but it was fine, there were no traumatic incidents and I got to see Penguins, Dolphins, Seals, Albatross, some really cool birds and some amazing beaches! If you ever go to Stewart Island then you should definitely do this trip! There isn’t a lot to do so you should have plenty of time to fit this in!
After that I just came back to the Hostel, had some Coco Pops and then watched some more Home and Away. I’m sure you have heard enough about my fascination with Home and Away, so I’ll just say that it was great and that I can’t wait to go home and watch it every single night! I watched a bit of T.V and then went to bed – I was the only one in the room, which is actually quite strange. You get really used to sharing a room with other people, so it’s really strange when you are on your own. I’m not even going to lie, I was a bit freaked out – the Hostel is pretty basic, they used regular keys for each room, not cards like the city Hostels, so I hadn’t bothered to lock the room during the day, so when I got ready for bed I checked under every bed, about ten times, to make sure that nobody was going to kill me in my sleep. Don’t worry, I didn’t find anyone! It was actually quite nice getting up in the morning and not having to worry about waking everyone up... I was even able to turn the light on, which is such a luxury over here, normally you just get ready in the dark! But that’s literally another story for another day!
Basically, Stewart Island is really small and there isn’t an awful lot to do, but I really liked it. It’s a village and it feels like a village. The people are really friendly and they are really helpful – I think they understand that the only reason Stewart Island still exists is because of Tourism, so they are grateful that you are there, to help fuel their economy or whatever. It’s just a really chilled out place – I don’t think I would live there, because it wouldn’t be practical, but if I ever marry that millionaire then he can buy me a holiday home there. Oh, and a plane so I never have to cross that channel again. Oh, and a yacht so I can visit all the beautiful islands. Not that I’m demanding or anything.
Xx
Showing posts with label Penguins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penguins. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 April 2009
The Scenic Route. Literally.
Monday 20th April
Today I left Dunedin, at last! I spent far too long in Dunedin, but it was for the best, I was able to get over the worst of my flu and I also managed to catch up with some people from my West Coast bus! I met up with Mairead, Mike, an Irish guy called Shane, who I originally met in the Bay of Islands and a couple from England, Tiggs and Gemma. We all left Dunedin for Invercargill together, which was really nice. The drive from Dunedin to Invercargill is lovely! Our first stop was a place called the Point Cafe or the Point Bar, or something like that, the motto was “We’re Glad You Got to the Point”, which I think was very smart. We had toasties here, which were $6.50, a total rip off, and they weren’t Baylands Coffee Co toasties, they weren’t even toasties that you make at home. They were average. Meh. After that stop we drove round to the actual point, where we got out and walked to a lighthouse. Kiwi Experience are fond of their random walks, which is actually really good, you get to see places in New Zealand that most people miss, but when you’re sick, walking is the last thing you want to do. And when you’re me, walking really is the last thing you want to do. Well, maybe it’s second to running or Barr History. Actually, there are a lot of things worse than walking, but walking is still really crappy.
After our walk to the lighthouse we drove to a different beach – Surat Bay Scenic Reserve where we saw Sea Lions! It was actually really amazing – as soon as we got onto the beach we saw a lady sea lion, I say lady because she was classy. She was hanging out on the beach, having a sleep and when she saw us she just started rolling around and looking cute! She even sat up for a few pictures! After seeing her we walked the rest of the beach, looking for some Mr Sea Lions, but we ended up walking the length of the beach before we saw any – we saw a young male and he was also really cute, he was darker than the female and he was a bit fatter, he had like, neck fat! I loved it! Then we came across a male and a female and they were really cute too! The beach was fairly flat, but it had big sand dunes and there at least 6 feet high – well we saw a MASSIVE and I mean, a fully grown male Sea Lion and they are BIG! He had climbed up this massive sand dune and he was just hanging out, having a sleep! Sea Lions are so big and it was really cool to be able to see them in the wild. There were these two really annoying boys, they kept on annoying the Sea Lions, like a Sea Lion would be asleep and then they would like run up to it and like wake it up and they were trying to poke them and they were getting far too close, which actually really annoyed me. I get really funny about this sort of stuff. There was absolutely no need to be acting the way they were – it was so disruptive and mean and it really annoyed me – and everyone else actually. Everyone was so fed up with them being stupid! I really wanted them to get bit by a Sea Lion, but it didn’t happen, sadly. There were a few close calls though, which I loved, because for a second you could see them getting really worried as they ran away from the Sea Lions!
After the Sea Lion beach we went to a waterfall – I have seen so many waterfalls on this trip, but this one was so beautiful! If you have ever played any of the Tomb Raider games, probably the first one (because that’s probably the only one I’ve ever seen – there were Tigers in this game) then that’s what the waterfall reminded me of! It was so beautiful, it just looked so ancient and it was huge! I would have loved to have gone swimming there, but there wasn’t any time! Most of our time was spent trying to get a good picture, the annoying boys that were being mean to the Sea Lions just stood at the top of the waterfall for a good 20 minutes – right in the way of everyone’s pictures! We actually had to ask them to move because they were in everyone’s way! Idiots!
After the waterfall we went to another beach place – it was called Curio Bay and it was so lovely! There were these amazing cliffs and the waves were huge! It was just so nice to see the cliffs and the sea and it was so green – it was just B-E-A-UTIFUL! We also saw a Sea Lion and she was so cute and so happy when we walked past (I’m presuming she was happy – I’m also presuming that she was a Sea Lion, she could have been a Fur Seal, but I’m pretty sure she was a Sea Lion) but then those horrible boys came along and one of them like slapped her, or poked her or did something disruptive and then she got really mad and she would let anyone walk past her and she chased anyone that did. Me and Mrs Seal were tight, I got some really good pictures of here, my favourite one was here reading the “No Dogs Allowed” sign! Genius – she was probably smarter than those boys. Actually I’m sure she was, because she chased one of them and he thought he was obviously so cool, but when she came at him he panicked and he was like stumbling/running backwards and then he fell into the massive mud pit! It was so funny! If Instant Karma exists then he was the perfect example! It was just beautiful! He fell into this big muddy pit and wrecked his white trainers and his trackies haha! It was also nice to see him looking worried as he tried to get out of the mud pit as this Sea Lion came charging at him!
We left the pretty beach and went a few seconds down the road to a spot where you can see the little hoiho Penguins – there the rarest Penguins in the world and there here in New Zealand! The beach where they live was full of tourists, so they wouldn’t leave the water so we didn’t get to see any, which was really crappy, because I’m all about cute little penguins! After that we just went straight to our Hostel in Invercargill – we checked in and then we all went out for dinner. We had spent the entire day eating food so I wasn’t too hungry so I just got some sweet potato chips and then we had some desert – chocolate fudge cake! Oh my gosh, it was sooo yummy, but it was HUGE! They gave you two slices and I could only eat one!
Well, I could have pushed myself to eat two, but that would have been painful, so I just enjoyed one slice! After that we all went back to our room – I repacked my huge bag and then packed a little bag to take to Stewart Island – tomorrows destination
and then I slept!
Xx
Today I left Dunedin, at last! I spent far too long in Dunedin, but it was for the best, I was able to get over the worst of my flu and I also managed to catch up with some people from my West Coast bus! I met up with Mairead, Mike, an Irish guy called Shane, who I originally met in the Bay of Islands and a couple from England, Tiggs and Gemma. We all left Dunedin for Invercargill together, which was really nice. The drive from Dunedin to Invercargill is lovely! Our first stop was a place called the Point Cafe or the Point Bar, or something like that, the motto was “We’re Glad You Got to the Point”, which I think was very smart. We had toasties here, which were $6.50, a total rip off, and they weren’t Baylands Coffee Co toasties, they weren’t even toasties that you make at home. They were average. Meh. After that stop we drove round to the actual point, where we got out and walked to a lighthouse. Kiwi Experience are fond of their random walks, which is actually really good, you get to see places in New Zealand that most people miss, but when you’re sick, walking is the last thing you want to do. And when you’re me, walking really is the last thing you want to do. Well, maybe it’s second to running or Barr History. Actually, there are a lot of things worse than walking, but walking is still really crappy.
After our walk to the lighthouse we drove to a different beach – Surat Bay Scenic Reserve where we saw Sea Lions! It was actually really amazing – as soon as we got onto the beach we saw a lady sea lion, I say lady because she was classy. She was hanging out on the beach, having a sleep and when she saw us she just started rolling around and looking cute! She even sat up for a few pictures! After seeing her we walked the rest of the beach, looking for some Mr Sea Lions, but we ended up walking the length of the beach before we saw any – we saw a young male and he was also really cute, he was darker than the female and he was a bit fatter, he had like, neck fat! I loved it! Then we came across a male and a female and they were really cute too! The beach was fairly flat, but it had big sand dunes and there at least 6 feet high – well we saw a MASSIVE and I mean, a fully grown male Sea Lion and they are BIG! He had climbed up this massive sand dune and he was just hanging out, having a sleep! Sea Lions are so big and it was really cool to be able to see them in the wild. There were these two really annoying boys, they kept on annoying the Sea Lions, like a Sea Lion would be asleep and then they would like run up to it and like wake it up and they were trying to poke them and they were getting far too close, which actually really annoyed me. I get really funny about this sort of stuff. There was absolutely no need to be acting the way they were – it was so disruptive and mean and it really annoyed me – and everyone else actually. Everyone was so fed up with them being stupid! I really wanted them to get bit by a Sea Lion, but it didn’t happen, sadly. There were a few close calls though, which I loved, because for a second you could see them getting really worried as they ran away from the Sea Lions!
After the Sea Lion beach we went to a waterfall – I have seen so many waterfalls on this trip, but this one was so beautiful! If you have ever played any of the Tomb Raider games, probably the first one (because that’s probably the only one I’ve ever seen – there were Tigers in this game) then that’s what the waterfall reminded me of! It was so beautiful, it just looked so ancient and it was huge! I would have loved to have gone swimming there, but there wasn’t any time! Most of our time was spent trying to get a good picture, the annoying boys that were being mean to the Sea Lions just stood at the top of the waterfall for a good 20 minutes – right in the way of everyone’s pictures! We actually had to ask them to move because they were in everyone’s way! Idiots!
After the waterfall we went to another beach place – it was called Curio Bay and it was so lovely! There were these amazing cliffs and the waves were huge! It was just so nice to see the cliffs and the sea and it was so green – it was just B-E-A-UTIFUL! We also saw a Sea Lion and she was so cute and so happy when we walked past (I’m presuming she was happy – I’m also presuming that she was a Sea Lion, she could have been a Fur Seal, but I’m pretty sure she was a Sea Lion) but then those horrible boys came along and one of them like slapped her, or poked her or did something disruptive and then she got really mad and she would let anyone walk past her and she chased anyone that did. Me and Mrs Seal were tight, I got some really good pictures of here, my favourite one was here reading the “No Dogs Allowed” sign! Genius – she was probably smarter than those boys. Actually I’m sure she was, because she chased one of them and he thought he was obviously so cool, but when she came at him he panicked and he was like stumbling/running backwards and then he fell into the massive mud pit! It was so funny! If Instant Karma exists then he was the perfect example! It was just beautiful! He fell into this big muddy pit and wrecked his white trainers and his trackies haha! It was also nice to see him looking worried as he tried to get out of the mud pit as this Sea Lion came charging at him!
We left the pretty beach and went a few seconds down the road to a spot where you can see the little hoiho Penguins – there the rarest Penguins in the world and there here in New Zealand! The beach where they live was full of tourists, so they wouldn’t leave the water so we didn’t get to see any, which was really crappy, because I’m all about cute little penguins! After that we just went straight to our Hostel in Invercargill – we checked in and then we all went out for dinner. We had spent the entire day eating food so I wasn’t too hungry so I just got some sweet potato chips and then we had some desert – chocolate fudge cake! Oh my gosh, it was sooo yummy, but it was HUGE! They gave you two slices and I could only eat one!
Well, I could have pushed myself to eat two, but that would have been painful, so I just enjoyed one slice! After that we all went back to our room – I repacked my huge bag and then packed a little bag to take to Stewart Island – tomorrows destination
and then I slept!
Xx
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