Kiwi, New Zealand's national emblem

As part of the guided walk the party went out into the bush at night. They heard and saw possums and then heard a cry similar to the possums' cry, but their guide said it was a kiwi. The sounds increased - a repetitive, high-pitched whistle by the males, and a coarser, raspier answer by the females. The party glimpsed a kiwi only briefly, but after the birdwatchers put out their torches it reappeared on the track in front of them, waddled towards them, looked at them and turned and hurried away up the track. They had seen its face clearly.

Ryan had cherished his dream for fifteen years and when he finally achieved his ambition he realised that he had been holding his breath with the excitement.

Janine Gray also describes her kiwi-spotting experience.

"Kiwi spotting being part of the itinerary for the evening, Ruth (our guide) explained how Kiwis forage for their tucker at night and make a huge racket in the forest due to their poor eyesight. A strange flightless bird indeed - it still baffles me why New Zealanders pride themselves on being Kiwis.

"There amid the twigs and trees, was a kiwi digging his beak into the dirt, oblivious to our presence. With beady little eyes, an exceptionally long beak, a big backside and large clumsy feet, he appeared out of proportion in every way. He practically posed for us as we stared in fascination, and then he waddled away, apparently tired of our presence.

Further birdwatching
"Leaving the coast to go inland altered all the senses. As we gained more distance from the powerful surf, the variety of bird songs became more apparent. Tuis, another confused New Zealand bird, imitate the song of other birds and do it exceptionally well. The bell-bird is his most popular target and only the discerning ear can hear the difference."

A boardwalk through beautiful bush

Indications of earlier settlement
Over past years there have been attempts at settlement or developing industries which have failed and remnants of these enterprises remain, as Ken described when talking about the cruise.

"The valley in which we walked showed signs of the community which had tried to build a life in spite of the rain, mud, wind and isolation. Old farm machinery left to rust in the tall grass and the Island Hill Homestead domain of the last landowner were the only indicators of the communities' efforts to settle."

Kayaking
Of the kayaking Janine writes:
"Stewart Island has about twenty islands surrounding it, so island hopping is ideal on a kayak, especially with a few days to spare. Unfortunately we only had a few hours but were lucky enough to have calm waters and gorgeous blue skies. We snuggled up to the coastline to get a closer look at Stewart Island's dense vegetation. Due to the unbroken forest surrounds, the waters of Paterson inlet are remarkably clear, and knowing that penguins and dolphins inhabited the waters we were hopeful of seeing some form of marine life.

"Island hopping is ideal on a kayak.."

"As we were paddling towards Halfmoon Bay a couple of bottle-nose dolphins joined us in a non-committal sort of way. They seemed to be snoozing while they drifted and didn't seem affected by our presence. Their company was a warming experience and well worth a picture, as we paddled the last stretch of our journey.

"My adventures on Stewart Island have just begun - I know I'll be back."

Booking your Wilderness Walk?
Kiwi Wilderness Walks suggests the following ways to get information.

For more information on Kiwi Wilderness Walks on Stewart Island, check out
http://www.riverton.co.nz/html/walks.html

For a brochure send your postal address in an email to
mailto:kiwibrochure@riverton.co.nz

Contact addresses:
Evan and Jane Bloomfield
fx +64 3 442 8342
PO Box 2125, Queenstown 9197, AOTEAROA
Email: evan@nzwalk.com
Website: http://www.nzwalk.com