Winter
Winter is our quiet time, with very few guests. So not may trips to Ulva. And of course the forest is “shut down” for the winter.
But as compensation this is Fungi Time.
Weather Reflections
Weather …. Reflections A recent news item mentioned how low soil moisture levels were this year in the South Island, and it got me thinking about the last 2 summers here. And that led to a new section on our weather page historical data tab As yet I...
Kiwi in the Village
Evening Kiwi SightingAll this season we’ve been showing our guests where they might see a kiwi in the evening, and a post in February had a short video taken by a guest.And on Monday evening guests at Kowhai Lane saw one. So Iris & I decided we would go and...
Te Araroa Trail
Te Araroa Trail …… The Long PathwayWe recently hosted a Canadian couple, and I was intrigued to discover they had just completed the South Island section of the Te Araroa TrailNow I was aware of this “North Cape to Bluff” hiking trail, but...
Rimu Mast Year
Rimu Mast on Stewart Island. Mast seeding is defined as the highly variable production of fruit by a population.
Kaka Baby
Kaka Orphan Re-United with Mum Kaka are pretty much everywhere we go, both around the village and on our Ulva tours. And always a favorite with our guests. A couple of days ago we found a very young bird a bit off the path just as we were leaving Ulva. Obviously a...
White Heron and Royal Spoon Bills
White Heron and Royal Spoonbills A couple of days ago I took some friends up Paterson Inlet, and called into Prices Inlet to show them the old Whalers Shipyards. And was very surprised to see a flock of Royal Spoon Bills on the small islet just off the base. Probably...
Late Summer, Early Autumn
Male Kiwi, Filmed 27th January above Boulder Beach. Kiwi SummerThis year has been the best ever for our guests as far as Kiwi Sightings go. A new operator has started up and has been very successful. The “worst’ our guests have reported was 3 sightings,...
Dolphins on a Sails Road Tour
Yesterday was wet, a good day for staying inside … or for doing a road tour. I had a request from an English mum and daughter for a road tour,
Pohutukawa at Sails Ashore
The natural range for Pohutukawa are the coastal regions of the upper half of the North Island, so Stewart Island is well south of where we would expect to find them.
About Me
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