Moving to New Zealand--Stewart Island

..Living the goal..

Pride of the South
| Stewart Island | 80s Party |

So, we haven't had an update in awhile. Thing is, we've almost seen the entire South Island. That's not to say there aren't more adventures up and coming; its just were taking a small break from traveling. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world to look forward to weekends where there's nothing to do but read a book and be lazy.
Anyways, a few weeks back we decided to complete our tour of the South Island with a trip down to the much-hyped and constantly repeated as 'amazing', Stewart Island.
The island lies just off the tip of the Southern point of the South Island. Roughly larger than Fiji, it shows off the pristine beauty and bush that the mainland used to contain. Several tracks weave their way over gorgeous waterfalls, large rainforests, and barren white beaches. The main track takes 12 days to complete round trip. If you're looking to disappear, this is truly the place to do it.
   The islands around the area are all bird reserves--free of predators and foreign pests--and containing the last breeding pairs of several birds about to become extinct. Stewart Island in itself is unlike anywhere we've been in New Zealand. A true feast on the ears. It's almost haunting how much of the mainland is devoid of bird song due to predators.
    So, no shit, there we were sitting on the Ferry awaiting to set off. We were fully drugged in an attempt to avoid sea-sickness. The Foveaux Straight to Stewart Island is considered the worst ferry crossing in the world. They've even got t-shirts with, "I survived the Foveaux Straight." in the ticket office. Generally not a good sign for those with weak stomachs.
    Once outside the harbor, we hit five-foot swells. Not too bad...but occasional 8-10 swells were more than fitting replacement for a day at Cedar Point. The highpoint of the trip came when "Rock the Boat" blared over the radio speaker system. I smiled, noticed Jeannine was head-down in between her knees, and kept my eyes on the constantly dipping horizon.
    After hitting Half-Moon Harbor within the protective confines of SI, the waves abated and we were able to relax the iron grip on our senses. Dry dock was a beautiful sight. Since it was night, we couldn't really grasp the outlines of the town. However, the lack of light pollution was all the more welcome as the stars above were spectacular. We grabbed our gear and strode off to the Southern Hotel--the southern most hotel in the world.
    Now, at this point the story, things change dramatically. After an enjoyable night in the hotel, we awoke to rain. Arctic, sideways falling rain. You see, when people extol the virtues of Stewart Island, it's generally on a nice day--in the summer. We had planned poorly by arriving on the cusp of winter and were now paying the price with shitty weather. During the day, we stumbled out and hiked a small distance around town--but everything we had wanted to attempt--sea-kayaking, fishing, etc.--was cancelled b/c of the weather.
    So, we got to know the town and local bar quite well. It's a beautiful place, but if its raining, there's just not a lot to do. We ended up cutting our trip a day short and heading back home. We'll be back though--hopefully under warmer and dryer conditions.
    The rest of this update contains photos from an 80s party attended a couple weeks back for a friend's 21st. I figured, why not show the world some crazy New Zealander's dressed up like Michael Bolton and Don Johnson? You've seen enough scenery pictures over the past few months. How about some debauchery instead?

Photos: