Stewart Island Sizzles
This has been the driest summer I have seen in 49 years of living on Stewart Island. We really started to notice our reduced rainfall and high temperatures in early December, and by mid December realised that if we wanted to save our Vegie garden and lawn and not use our domestic water to do so we had better start carting water …. see post on Jan 8th.
And cart water we have. Just on 40,000 litres have gone onto our vegie garden and lawn. And both are now looking great, although there are a couple of small areas of lawn are still a bit brown, but with fresh growth showing through.
We have rain forecast for Wednesday evening and most of Thursday, so hopefully the rain gods will do their thing.
Last January we had 250 mm of rain, this January just 25mm, so less than 1 mm per day, and although there have been a couple of cooler days, mostly we have had daily max of over 20 deg C, and today a max of 28.9 deg C.
Our webcam looking out from Sails Ashore, dated 30th January @ 17.14hrs
We have not seen a cloud all day
Total Fire Ban
A total fire ban has been imposed over the whole Island, and the forest is really dry. A few days ago I was phoned by a yachtie friend who was up the Inlet. They had discovered a fire on an Island in Kaipipi Inlet. I phoned 111 (always wanted to do that !!!) and the local fire brigade did their thing. Not so easy as it required a boat to get up to Kaipipi. I have no idea how much damage was done, but understand it was some local children having a cook-up.
Accommodation Houses Closed
Both Sails Ashore & Kowhai Lane Lodges tanks are holding up well …. between the two properties we have over 150.000 litres storage and are at around 70% full.
But we understand several accommodation properties are out of water, and one lodge has been importing domestic water from Bluff since early December, their well having run dry.
The long range forecasts are suggesting these conditions may well continue into April
Sea Temperatures High as Well
This afternoon I went down to Golden Bay and tested the sea temperature ….. 20.3 deg C. My post of 2nd December noted a sea temp of 16.5 deg C, and I expected it to have gone up since then, and it has to a temperature that must be a record, or close to it.
I arrived on Stewart Island in 1969 as Forest Ranger. Since then I've fished commercially both in Fiordland and around Stewart Island then skippered our charter yacht in the same waters, and also down into the Southern Ocean. More recently we now have "Sails Ashore" B&B, and I also guide our guests and others on Ulva Island, introducing them to the natural world of Stewart island