Living La Vida Loca

As part of our overall south island itinerary we’d wanted to get as far south as we could to explore what the geography and habitats might be like. So we decided on an overnight trip that included a stay in Invercargill and an excursion to both Steward Island and Ulva Island – known for a rain forest environment and indigenous bird sightings. You can’t see Ulva Island on the map below but it is a tiny one tucked just next to Stewart Island.

We drove down the day before the excursion to Invercargill. We got very lucky with the accommodations (unlike in Manapouri) and the manager, Dorothy, put us in a lovely apartment-like suite (ASURE Townsman Motor Lodge for anyone headed that way!) and then pointed us to a really good restaurant called Buster Crabb. On the first point, we have found that New Zealand innkeepers are – in general – very good at taking motel type, roadside accommodations and upgrading them enough to make those of us with more (how to say this…) delicate tastes feel quite comfortable. We found that on our biking trip as well – more on that later. Always very clean, with often some little creature comforts added you wouldn’t normally find on a remote highway in the US.

The restaurant was very good too, despite slow service. In general we found many of the eateries short-staffed with the pandemic aftermath cited as a cause. But the food has consistently been really tasty and wholesome. This night I had something I have never seen on a menu before – do it yourself Bao. The traditional bao spongy dough came as little “pockets” and along side came a spicy prawn and veggie mix and some pickled salad to stuff into the bao. A little messy but filling. Kathy vouched for the local cod and we don’t remember what Andrew had but we were all happy. There was a discussion about who Buster Crabb really was. Apparently THIS Buster Crabb was supposedly a secret agent/spy who was discovered and killed (I don’t remember by whom). We ‘mericans recalled an actor, Buster Crabbe (note the “e” at the end of his surname), with the same name but the local legend insisted on the spy identity. Who were we to argue?

The next morning we took a ferry from Invercargill to Stewart Island, and had an hour or so to wander through the small fishing village. The waterfront had a huge chess set on it – fun for snapping photos, then Kathy and I found a lovely jungle-like track that wound through the edge of town while Andrew hit the town’s historical museum.

We soon boarded a small boat to Ulva Island – a very well-maintained and protected wetland and rain forest.

We had a very knowledgeable guide and got to see some native animals up close. One was a weka! The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand.

We even got to see an amazing plant that you can tell male from female by the feel of its leaves – rough or soft – you may guess which was which.

The effort to drive down overnight and spend the day to reach and experience this natural wonder was well worth the effort. I continue to be impressed with New Zealand’s commitment to preserving it’s unique ecology and natural habitats – and making them accessible to the public with careful maintenance and excellent guideposts for use. Bravo!