After nearly 2 years of mainly working from home it was nice to venture to Stewart Island /Rakiura. We flew direct to Invercargill and then took Stewart Island flights to Oban. A small plane and a 20 minute flight and you are there.

The pace of life slows the moment you land. There is a short van trip from the airstrip to the township of Oban where you will find a pub, a few shops and a 4 square. Everything you need !

We were staying at Church Hill Lodge. Amazing accommodation and a fantastic restaurant. Chris and Deanne were our hosts at the lodge and always had time for a chat. Deanne did most of the cooking and wow… the food was delicious. The wood fired outdoor bath was just what we needed after a 3 hour walk .

We booked some guided trips with Beaks and Feathers, the first was kiwi spotting. We were up at 5 am before the sun came up to an area near the air field and were lucky enough to see 2 kiwis. Was very exciting!

Then we headed off to Ulva Island for a guided walk. We were lucky to see the South Island Saddleback, Stewart Island Weka, Kaka and Robin, and NZ Bellbird and Tui. 

To walk amongst the magnificent rimu, southern rata, kamahi, totara, miro and some amazing ferns was outstanding. If you go to Stewart Island, you must go to Ulva Island and make sure you have a guide.

Stewart Island has 28kms of roads so we decided to hire a car for a few hours as we were short on time and wanted to see Lee Bay, Horseshoe bay and Ackers Bay.

A trip to Stewart Island is a must do. The people, the scenery and our accommodation……. outstanding.