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Stewart Island: NZ 3rd Island

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New Zealand’s third largest island is Stewart Island which is located 30nm further south from the South Island.  It is truly the furthest south you can get in New Zealand.  At this point, I have gone to the furthest north point of Cape Reigna in the North island and the the furthest south point in Stewart island.

We arrive to the ferry dock early, so we decide to detour 10nm down the road to Stirling Point which is 46 degrees south on the South Island!  That’s pretty far south!  I am pointing to each direction I’ve been (Cape Reinga and Stewart island).

We have to take a ferry ride across Foveaux Straight which is known to be a treacherous crossing.  Our ferry holds about 100 people and is about 23m long and 8.5m wide.  When filled with passengers and cargo, it can weigh up to 70 metric tons!  We cruised at 22kts and had a bit of a lumpy ride over, but not terrible.  The “no go” threshold is 50kts of wind and or 4.5m seas.  Can you imagine?  No, hell no!

We get waves crashing on the sides of the window more times than I can count.

We leave the Bluff on the south island around 0945 and arrive into Half Moon Bay (or the city of Oban) around 1045.

Stewart Island Tour

We immediately hop on to the bus to take our 1.5hr Stewart Island tour.  It is a small island with only 410 full time residents.  There is a small library, community center, museum, market, school (2-12 years), fuel station, shops and eateries.  

After we drive through town, we stop at Observation Rock which gives you a beautiful view of the town and harbour.

We drive by bathing beach and Meghan’s beach which have absolutely beautiful sandy beaches.

The very stunning Half Moon Bay took our breath away.  Perfect sandy beaches and not a soul on it!

We pass by a telephone tree which actually has a telephone on the tree!   We ate at Kai Kart which has been voted the best fish and chips in NZ!  They were pretty darn good.

A life size chess set sits on the coast just by the ferry dock.  Our ferry is coming in as I snap the photo.

We head back to the hotel just in time to enjoy the sunset at the 7th floor bar.

Anchored to the South Island

Maori creation stories tell how Maui, a legendary Polynesian voyager, pulled up from the sea floor anchor stone Te Puka a Maui (Stewart Island) to act as an anchor for the great ancestral canoe Te Waka o Aoraki (South Island of New Zealand)

The stylized anchor chain is secured firmly on land by a shackle but disappears beneath the Foveaux Straight to remind us of the physical and spiritual connections between the traditional taurapa or stern post o the Te Waka or Aoraki.

The bronze anchor chain is on Stewart Island and the silver is at Sterling Point (Invercargil).  Stewart Island anchors more than Maui’s canoe.  It anchors in its rocks, rivers, and rugged shores and in its garnishments of plants and animals, the hope of generations unborn that places like this will always exist.

Fun Facts about Stewart island

  • Stewart Island is 180,000 hectres (bigger than Hong Kong and Singapore combined)
  • 85% of the island is protected as a national park
  • 6% is protected by the government DOC
  • 6% belong to the Maori tribe
  • 3% belong to local NZ
  • All households are sold and currently unavailable.  It is a 4-year wait to hire the 2 local builders on the island and bringing in housing materials costs 3-4 times more than standard fees.
  • There are no mice, ferrets, stokes, or pigs on island.  However, they do have rats, possums and feral cats which they are desperately trying to remove from the island.

Fun filled and fabulous day.  Wonderful opportunity to go to this little island.

  • Kilometers travelled:  75km
  • Hotel: Laglands Hotel
  • Kilometers walked: 5km

Events from this blog occurred in early March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  Our last blog post took us to Invercargil where we visit a rockin transport and motorcycle museum.

Invercargil: The Southern Tip

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Invercargil is the southern most city on the south island of New Zealand.  It is known for its sweeping landscapes, unique museums, and quirky attractions.  We come here to access the ferry which will take us to Stewart Island.

We had a leisurely 2.5hr drive from Queenstown.  It was a brisk morning, but no rain or cloud cover which is a nice change.  We did not have anything “scheduled” to do in Invercargil, but there were a few museums we wanted to visit.

Bill Richardson Transport World

Bill Richardson spent decades restoring vintage vehicles – now, his family has infused his collection with their own interests to create a world-class experience. There are over 300+ vehicles, memorabilia, toy cars, antiques, and more.  

We were a little gun shy after our disappointing visit to the National Transport and Toy Museum in Wanaka.  But, we were so happy we came to the Bill Richardson Transport World.

This museum is gorgeous, clean, orderly, and filled with surprises in every room.  I did not go crazy taking photos of all the cars because, well frankly that would be boring to blog about. But here are a few of my favorites.

A few old, and very small BMWs

And even a few fashion designs made of the most unusual recycled items (including tires, stamps, balloons, gloves, stickers, and more).

Classic Motorcycle Mecca

Our next stop is the Classic Motorcycle Mecca which takes up an entire city block!  From motorcycles (classics, antiques, racing), to bicycles, bikes and side cars, a few race cars and more.

I am not a huge motorcycle fan, but I sure can appreciate a beautiful bike!  I am particularly fond of Harley’s, Indians, and Nimbus.

And they had the actual bike from the movie “The World’s Fastest Indian.

Wouldn’t be a good day if we did not have a few photo ops.

We enjoyed another tasty burger at Burger Fuel and walked around the fairly large town.

  • Kilometers traveled: 195km
  • Hotel: Langlands
  • Kilometers Walked: 4.2km (gesh)

Events from this day occurred in early March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  In our last blog, we visit Milford Sound by bus, boat and plane.

Milford Sound

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Milford Sound claims to be the 8th wonder of the world.  Evidently, many places make that claim, but I can surely see why the folks in Milford Sound feel that way!

We take an amazing tour with Southern Discoveries Tour.  We hop on a bus in Queenstown (that has a glass roof, bathroom, and reclining seats).  It takes 6 hours to drive the 291k to Milford Sound with several stops along the way for photo opportunities, bathroom breaks, and snacks.  We then board a boat and take a cruise of Milford Sound by sea, and then back on the bus for a 5 hour return to Queenstown.  A very long day.  

We meet before dawn to load onto the bus with 43 other people.  Our driver, Brad was amazing.  He shared stories and the history of places along the way. A constant narrative with just enough humor to keep you interested. 

We had beautiful views along the way to Milford Sound with low clouds, fog, and mountains.

And the landscape keeps changing.

Mirror Lakes

On the way, we stop the iconic Mirror Lakes which were absolutely stunning!  I think this is what Lake Matheson would have been like had we been there on a sunny day.

I asked as stranger to take our photo and unfortunately she didn’t capture the mirror lakes behind us.  But it still is a pretty picture.

This view certainly takes your breath away.

Pride of Milford Sound

After almost 6 hours in the bus we finally arrive in Milford Sound.  We move from our bus to our boat, the Pride of Milford.  This boat must hold well over 500 people.  You get in the buffet line immediately upon boarding.  Food wasn’t terrible for a buffet but it was a true buffet.

The very first thing we see as we leave the dock is the beautiful Bowen Falls.  It is a very powerful waterfall that was stunning thing to see.

It is a quick trip out to the Tasman sea and then past another spectacular waterfall called the Sterling Waterfall.

The Sterling Waterfall is beautiful and even more so when you are up close and personal.  The captain nosed the boat close enough to the falls to feel the spray on our face.  Ignore the label on the bottom of the photo as this is the Sterling Falls (not the Bowen Falls).

A Plane Ride Home

We decided to take a flight home rather than sit in the bus for another 5 hours.  We hopped in a GA8 Airvan that showed us around Milford Sound from the sky.  Oh my goodness, I highly recommend seeing Milford Sound by air as it is far more impressive than by sea!

There are so many lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

After about 45 minutes, we arrive back in Queenstown and get a pretty view of this lake side town from the air.

An absolutely spectacular day in Milford Sound.

  • Kilometers Traveled:  0 Arrived the day before
  • Hotel: Whistler Holiday Apts.
  • Total Traveled: 291km by bus, 20km by boat, 310km by airplane
  • Kilometers Walked: 5.4 (on a bus and boat most of the day)

Events from this blog occurred in early March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  Be sure to read about our escapades in Queenstown in our last blog.