Island of the birds

I spent last night on Stewart Island. I was woken this morning before 6 by kaka calls. The flights over and back were a treat; beautiful weather effects framing the island and calm air to soothe the most nervous flyer. I sat beside the pilot and tried to keep my feet off the dual controls. Successfully. I had dinner at the South Sea Hotel last night and lunch today here in Riverton. Leo's at home with me, sleeping on the couch, his "big boy's bed". We've already fed the hens and walked "through the forest". Riki and his friends are visiting this afternoon for a wander through the same forest and tonight we're having dinner with Jelle and Doetie.

Drilling the island

They're drilling for gas on Stewart Island. Rather, Greymouth Petroleum has set up it's rig in anticipation of getting consent to drill for gas. It seems astonishing that they would go to all the effort of shipping gear to Rakiura, assemble it and advertise their intentions through The Southland Times, before getting their consents sorted. Still, there they are.

Meanwhile, we're playing an oil drilling board game on the dining room table, no consent required.

Lady of the lake

You'd not expect to find much that is Arthurian on Stewart Island, but on our recent visit there, we saw this.

Circling sharks

Whenever I'm on the cat crossing Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island, I always watch the waves for signs of marine creatures - a fin, a flipper or a bristled snout. Mostly I've seen penguins; little blues, Fiordland Crested and sometimes a Yellow-eyed, or seals but as yet, no whales and no sharks. I know there are both in Te Ara a Kewa, the strait's earlier name, and have no desire to get in there with them but I'd at least like to see them in their chilly realm, lolling about or cutting through the foamy brine. Seems my chances of seeing one of those families, the Great White sharks, are increasing markedly. Reports of swelling numbers of our toothy friends in the waters off Rakiura (that's Stewart Island for you Northern readers) have me thinking that I'll get to see some soon enough and that I'll be extra keen to stay aboard when I do.
Sharks eh!
They're everywhere! 

Candidate roll call

Roll up, roll up!

Those from the Invercargill/Rakiura constituencywith their hands up for a seat around Environment Southland's big table include:

Ernest Rowland Currie,

Robert Lance Guyton,

Neville Mark Gray Cook

and Neil Lester Wyeth.

Ernest, Neville and Neil.

And myself.

Let the tournament begin!