I was able to head down to Stewart Island and tramp the Rakiura Track over the long weekend, and it was pretty amazing.

I'm currently living in Queenstown, so it took me about 2-3 hours to drive to Invercargill where I purchased some groceries, and another small bit to get to the small coastal town of Bluff where the ferry to Stewart Island departs from. I had a bit of time before the ferry left, so I decided to explore what little there is to Bluff. There are a few small stores, a gas station, and a small park right at the end of the highway on the coast which features a large symbolic chain linking Stewart Island and the South Island. There is a connecting section on the other side of the strait as well. Eventually, I headed back to the port and hopped on the ferry. An hour later, I had arrived.

Stewart Island is off the south coast of New Zealand's South Island, and significantly smaller. It is mostly unpopulated, but it has one small settlement named Oban/Halfmoon Bay where about 400 residents live. There is a small grocery store, a few hotels/backpackers, a few restaurants, and one pub. I stopped off at the information center to get some details about accommodation and the track itself. The people working there made it sound like it was going to be a very busy weekend and I should have made reservations in advance. So, I hopped on over to the recommended backpackers, and had no problem getting a bed. In fact, the place was basically deserted, and probably only 8 or so people were there out of a capacity for around 80. I ate some fish and chips, went for a bit of a walk, had a chat with some fellow travellers, and then went to bed.

The next day, I went straight over to the Department of Conservation headquarters where I booked huts for the Rakiura Track. They cost $15 a night, which seems fair since they provide a nice shelter, water, and sleeping mats. There were a couple other tracks as well, including a 10 day track that went around the top of the island, and a 6 day track that went a bit farther south. I stuck with the original plan, and headed out that morning.

The first part of the track starts from in town and follows a coastal road for a few miles before hitting the actual track. It is quite beautiful, and you pass a smattering of houses that look quite appealing. Eventually, you hit the start of Rakiura National Park, and you get on a proper trail. This section follows the coast, and is mostly small ups and downs as you cross over small streams that outlet into the sea. There are a couple of places where you can follow the beach in low tide or follow a high tide track - I was able to follow the beaches. The weather was awesome, clear skies and a little less than room temperature - perfect for hiking. There were lots of shells on the beaches, and the water was crystal clear.

Eventually, I made it to my first stop - Port William Hut. When I arrived, only 2 other people were there (out of a capacity for 24). I ate some lunch at a bench overlooking the sea, walked along the beach for a bit, and then decided I better take a short swim just to say I did. The water was quite cold, but not actually as bad as I expected. Needless to say, I still didn't stay in for long. Not long after that, about 10 or so other people arrived, which was actually a but disappointing. I stayed up and chatted a bit, ate some dinner, and then eventually went to bed. It was nice to have a mattress, and I had a good nights rest.

The next day was a hike away from the coast, through a more central part of the island. This section is all sub-tropical rain-forest, with lots of moss, ferns, and trees covering every inch of usable land. Part of the away through the day, it started gently raining - but the canopy did a good job of protecting me and I didn't really get wet at all. It really just added to the experience, I think, as you can't have a rain-forest without rain. The trail along this section is actually a huge track of wooden pathway covered in wire for traction. I lot of people hate it, I thought it was pretty neat. I imagine it's a huge pain to maintain, though. There were a few river crossings that were done with fun wire bridges that were quite swingy and a tiny bit dangerous. There were a couple pretty lookouts along the way, as well.

When I reached the next stop at North Arm Hut, I was happy to set all my stuff down and just relax. I was the 3rd of 8 people that day, which was a bit nicer than than previous hut. I did a bit of exploring along the beach as well, and found an easily angered Sea Lion hiding in the grass at the back of the beach. I wasn't really sure how fast those guys can move, so I stayed well back. The rest of the night everyone just exchanged stories and jokes until we went to bed.

The next morning, most of us headed off at about the same time, and we were quite fortunate in that it stopped raining about half an hour before we left. This day was a mixture of rain-forest and coast, and was really a pretty easy day. When I got back to town, I checked back in to the conservation center, took a shower, and then went and booked a 6:30pm ferry back to Bluff. I had a few hours to waste, so I went to the pub where I met back up with the people I had befriended at the first hut. It started pouring with rain at this point, so I felt quite satisfied that I has just barely made it in time! Drank a couple beers, ate a delicious fish burger and chips, and then hopped on the ferry.

Once I got back to the South Island, it was a simple drive back to Queenstown, where I quickly went to bed. All in all, it was an amazing weekend!