Energy on Stewart Island
Early Days When I first arrived on Stewart Island back in ’69 my Forest Service cottage had a “Shacklock 501” coal range for cooking, hot water and room heating. My lights were “Tilley” lanterns. The coal I had to carry around 100 metres...
Bird Populations and Mast years
Bird Populations and Mast years A couple of years ago, in April 2019 I blogged about a Rimu Mast year far beyond anything I could remember. And although It wasn’t part of my blog, that year was also an exceptional year for coprosma fruit. The coprosma season...
Home Help
Home Help A couple of months ago our daughter Anne phoned me … what to get Iris for her Birthday, and what did I think about a Robot Vacuum Cleaner. It happens one of her friends had one, and raved about it, and Anne thought why not for her mother. I did a bit...
Cattle Egrets
Cattle Egrets An early winter visitor are the Cattle Egrets. Normally arriving mid May I was surprised to find this one on the road at Horseshoe Bay. It was foraging alongside the road, and was quite unconcerned by our van pulling up along side. In the past...
Kiwis and Anchors
12 months ago in the middle of lockdown our future was, to say the least, a bit uncertain. Who would have foreseen the busiest summer the Island has had, well at least in our experience.
Stewart Island, Riviera of the Southern Ocean
Stewart Island, Riviera of the Southern Ocean Are there any vessels left in West Haven ?? Every summer the Island plays host and destination to a few visiting yachts. And apart from the regulars from Bluff and Otago Harbour there always seemed to be more flying...
Kiwi and Security Lights
When Sails Ashore & Kowhai Lane Guests arrive we always take then for a short “Tiki Tour” of the village to show them where things are.
Morepork and Other Things
One of our more elusive birds is the Morepork Of course they are nocturnal and so not about when we are. But occasionally we’ll spot one roosting quietly in a tree, often the dead lower branches of a young Rimu, where their brown plumage blends beautifully with the dead foliage.
20-Twentyone
2021
I can’t quite believe how quickly the last few months have flown by. But then again, looking back I’m astonished at how busy we’ve been. And even more astonishing considering how Iris & I thought the future would be just 10 months ago.
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