Stewart Island - Rakiura Track

By June, flights, huts, and travel plans for NYE 2018 were locked in. This was a first for me, despite having once considered myself organised and the planner of all events. The Kiwi style of “she’ll be alright” slowly seems to be wearing off on me, leaving many plans inactioned until it’s too late. Luckily, friends much more thoughtful than I materialised a trip, and the credit card was handed over before we could change our minds. But who would change their minds about spending New Year’s on Stewart Island?

Furthermore, ticking off a Great Walk over a New Zealand summer and exploring a part of New Zealand that not many kiwis have even seen is enticing, so the plan was an easy one to agree to. After a pleasantly surprising small town NYE in Takaka the year before, we were ready to see what Stewart Island had to offer to ring in 2019.

Packing for the trip would need to be strategic, as we would be spending three nights on the Rakiura Great Walk and another two nights in Oban. CJ and I packed, repacked, and argued about what was essential. Everything would need to be carried on our backs the entire time. Essential - a percolator, craft beers, and scorched almonds. Non-essential - lounge clothes, fishing gear. We packed it all.

The first leg of our trip involved a flight from Christchurch to Invercargill. After a very long layover in a very small airport, we hopped onto our flight from the South Island to Stewart Island. I was horrified to learn the plane held a total of eight passengers - pilot included - but immediately relieved when I saw that two of those passengers were dogs.

After an uneventful ride, we landed on an airstrip (read - a patch of grass) and were driven to Oban by our pilot. What a jack of all trades, I tell ya. After a quick stop at the DOC station and the Four Square for more scorched almonds, we began our first day’s walk from Oban to North Arm Hut, tackling the track backwards.

The first day’s walk was warmer than expected, and the four of us fell silent and sweaty. Walking through wooded bush was magical and finally being outdoors after a day in a very exciting airport was exhilarating. We made it to North Arm hut faster than DOC time (woohoo!) and selected our bunks for the evening.

The next morning we set off early, hoping to be at Port William Hut before lunch to squeeze in a nap and some snacks. We succeeded by a country mile. The first half of the walk was undulating, easy, and quite pretty under a wooded gully. The second part - a massive uphill of approximately one million stairs was far more difficult. CJ and I managed to get away with one big tramping pack and one smaller backpack, and I somehow managed to offload the tramping pack just before the uphill battle - thank goodness.

Giddy with the success of a full day’s tramp, the boys headed for the water, stoked for a dip and a bit of fishing. Plans were quickly dashed, as three minutes of ice-cold water was enough and shrubbery in the water made for bad fishing. Chocolate and reading in the sun was a better alternative, anyway.

Our second night afforded us with a stunner of a sunset and we decided to try to spot kiwis in the night. After a long, stunning, and very dark walk on the beach, we returned back to our bunks kiwi-spotting-less.

We set off early again the next morning, hoping to make it out before the other trampers. The third day walking into Lee Bay was the most stunning. The views varied from native bush, to coastal tracks, and wound up into a narrow native bush track with breathtaking views of the sea below. The colours and birdlife kept our weary feet plodding along and our spirits up. At the end - or the beginning for those who walk the opposite way - we stopped for a photo-op under the chain link sculpture. We celebrated for a quick second before realising we still had a long walk back into Oban - on the road - if we didn’t feel like springing for a shuttle ride back. Not wanting to spoil our efforts, we walked.

I’d recommend to anyone reading to pay for a ride to get your tired booty back to the Oban pub. Treat yo’self.

Back in civilisation, we walked to our accomodation, just outside of town, and settled in for showers and more snacks. We were enthralled by the native birdlife all around and amazed even more at the views of Oban bay straight out of our window.

That evening was NYE, and we were ready to celebrate in a big way. Lucky for us, the whole town was, too. Tradition on Stewart Island is to gather around the South Sea Hotel - naturally the only pub in town - light a bonfire on the beach, and dance to live music. Jugs of Speight’s flowed, the whole town gathered, and the band belted out a surprising amount of country music. When midnight was near, the town was lively, jovial, and boats lit off their flares (is this even legal? I am not sure.). The small town NYE beat any large city gathering in my book, and dressed in a beanie, rain jacket, and running leggings, I couldn’t have been happier.

The next day we boated to Ulva Island in hopes of spotting some kiwis. Unfortunately, the island had been unseasonably dry which means fewer bugs for birds to scavenge, but the walks around the island were a welcome reward. Make sure you leave a few hours in your trip to go, as the ferry ride and scenery on the island are well worth the $10 to get there.

All too soon, it was time to leave. We packed our things and boarded the tiny flight back to the South Island. Unfortunately, this ride back was far rockier than the first and I nearly lost my lunch. Other than the 20 minutes of pure terror (I will admit just for me, everyone else seemed fine or is just a hell of a lot tougher), we landed without a hitch and went on our merry way.

Ready to take your trip to Stewart Island and hike the Rakiura track?