12/28/2016
Bungaree Hut to Oban
I am going to start with the animals I have seen on this island: baby sea lion, big fat sea lion, white tailed deer, crab snatchers, and various other birds. No kiwis, though I have not tried to see them either. New Zealanders are obsessed with seeing kiwis. Apparently so few people see them that the rare daytime kiwis on Stewart Island is truly an attraction worth planning a whole vacation around. That couple I met last night from the bag of steak, they came back for this circuit because when they hiked the Rakiura a couple years back they didn’t see any kiwis. Now that is dedication!
I hiked back to Oban today. I almost took the route around along the Rakiura Track but knew I would regret getting in so late. Everything on Stewart Island closes so early. Plus, tomorrow is my birthday, so I wanted to at least plan well enough to make sure I was covered for a relaxing day. Meaning that I needed to return early enough to have all my bookings squared away.
Even with the early return, I almost missed supper. I was waiting hours for the dryer to clear up so I could have pants. Eventually I gave up and looked at what was actually in the dryer, it was only two sheets. What a waste! I dried my clothes and grabbed them as soon as I could. The Kai Kart was already closed by they fried some blue cod and chips for me anyway. I was incredibly fortunate. I spent the remainder of the evening reading at the South Sea Hotel bar while watching the World Dart Championships on TV. The hotel kitchen let me snag the last piece of cheesecake while they were still cleaning up from the night. Double score!
I packed my bags and went to bed early.
Elizabeth Erickson 