Ferns and Snails
One of the more attractive ferns … or in my opinion anyway …. is our Hen & Chicken Fern. Asplenium bulbiferum .It’s found most often in damp well shaded forest understory and is much loved by Whitetailed deer
Energy, Cooking and Orchids
Energy Stewart Island “Runs” on diesel fuel. Our electrical supplies are from community diesel generators, which run 24/7 and supply us with more or less unlimited power. But it is expensive, with a monthly connection fee of around $90, and around $0.60...
Australian Fires and Spring
Australian FiresDuring my Forest Service career I was fortunate that I didn’t do much forest fire work, and apart from controlled burns I can remember only one wildfire, and that was quite a small one. But they really weren’t my favorite...
Another Kaka and Tradies
Another Sick Kaka On our last post we had a sick Kaka, which sadly DoC were forced to put down. Just two days after that we found we had another. This one injured with a damaged leg. Not sure exactly what the problem is, but the leg seems quite displaced at the body,...
Sick Kaka
Sick KakaKaka, the New Zealand lowland parrot are more than common around the village. And are a source of great interest to our guests. If the weather is bad Iris will put out a weak sugar solution a for them, and generally there are apple slices on our bird table....
Signs of Spring
Signs of SpringThe last couple of years has spoiled us with fine settled spring weather. This year seems to be reverting to what we used to get, with September rainfall 198 mm and a couple of quite good gales, although they were thankfully reasonably short duration....
Spring Garden & Parakeets
We have a Pseudopanax “goldsplash” in our garden. And it’s a very prolific seeder, and thus popular with much of our local birdlife. A couple of days ago Iris discovered a trio of Red Crowned Parakeets busy feeding on the fallen seed.
End of Winter
Fuchsia, on a lovely late winter morning End of Winter Well, in a couple of days it will be. Although I think the short term outlook for spring looks somewhat winter-ish. We’ve had quite a bit of rain. These last 5 days have averaged 20 odd mm per day and the...
Winter Snow
Winter Blast I doubt very many New Zealanders were unaware of the winter storms which boomed up from the Southern Ocean these last few days. We didn’t escape, although not nearly so “snowy” as further north. Not unusual at all as although unpleasant...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