What's Little and Blue and Looks Like a Penguin?

I think they ought to change the name of Stewart Island to 'Bird Land'. This island, which rests about 35 km south of the Bluff, the southern-most tip of New Zealand, is alive with the song of myriad birds - tuis, bellbirds, parakeets, fantails, wood pigeons, tomtits, grey warblers. For four days we followed tracks and listening to the trees sing.

Each bay we came to was more spectacular than the last. The trails wound through kamahi trees with spreading blotchy off-white trunks, through fushia trees, lancewood, copromas, tree ferns and broadleaf. On one trail the fine red hair-like pedals of the rata tree lined the boardwalk. To get over cow fences we stepped over clever ladders built around the fences.

The highlight of day two was our hike to Ackers Point to spot the Little Blue Penguins. From where we were camping in the town of Oban, Halfmoon Bay (the only town on the island and home to all its 450 residents), it is an hour's hike to the lighthouse.

At night the penguins come up from the ocean to sleep in their burrows on the grassy cliffs which surround the Point. We waited and waited, but it wasn't until 11 pm when the small blue-backed penguins began popping from the water to start their nightly climb. Alas visibility at that hour is poor and, since shining a light on the birds causes them distress and isn't advised, we only got a quick glimpse of one at our feet and then a silhouette of another as he bounded across the boardwalk. Still we had seen penguins, something we had previously encountered only on television or in photographs. We were happy.

The rest of the time on the island was spent exploring the beaches and bays. Ryan's Creek was particularly beautiful with it's views of the tiny islands which lie in Paterson Inlet.

The phone near Moturau Moana is worth mentioning too. It was attached to a tree. The Moturau Moana gardens held additional excitement, two familiar faces, Tina and Anke. We don't know who was more surprised. We first met them back in November in Hawaii. It was great to see them again and after dinner on our last night we all walked to town, our $1.00 double-dip ice-cream cones in hand, to watch the anchored boats sway in the water of Halfmoon Bay.