Stewart Island Christmas Trip

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

STEWART ISLAND CHRISTMAS TRIP on the Lyttelton ferry for our jour- The scenery leaves one with an ney to the other end of the "other" impression of dark green bush, island. craggy grey rock, and numerous small inlets with We had arranged to meet the beaches. There were yellow, many lovely sandy 17th member, Roger Martin, in bush-walks within a two-mile radius Christchurch the next morning. of the camping ground. Those of Most of Boxing Day we travelled us who ventured to go swimming by train from Christchurch to Inver- found the water extremely cold. cargill, where we arrived at 8.45 Stewart Island is also a bird sanca.m. It was necessary for us to tuary, and we had great fun identispend that night at Bluff, 17 miles fying the different calls of the away, because the Stewart Island native birds in the bush. ferry departed at 8 a.m. the fol- About half-way through our stay. lowing day. we were joined by Roger Moore and Charlie Gordon, who increased our According to the Captain of the strength to 19 souls. It is time now G.M.V. "Wairua," we had a calm to mention the more memorable crossing to the Island. Many of us events of our trip. On Sunday the felt differently, however, while 29th we all went fishing for the day ploughing through a stretch of in Graham Squires' boat the "Howater appropriately named "The Ho." (Ha-Ha, Ed.). Rip," just out of Bluff. The keen fishermen amongst us Some 21 hours later we disem- caught quantities of blue cod, which barked on the wharf at Half Moon fed us all for several meals. We Bay, Stewart Island. We were saw penguin rookeries and watched rather taken aback at the lack of mollyhawks and albatrosses fightfacilities on the camping reserve. ing over the fish we caught. Our Fortunately, everyone co-operated greatest thrill was the sight of a to make our living conditions more hump-backed whale playing by itbearable. self. (I told vou they'd have a whale of a time, didn't I! Ed.). We fol- It rained most of the time and lowed the whale in the "Ho-Ho" the sandflies would not let us alone, while the boys got busy with their but in spite of the discomforts, we cameras. all enjoyed our week on the island On Christmas night 16 members very much. of the T. and M.'s left Wellington

By Monday afternoon the girls we travelled by the night train were fed-up with sketchy washes, from Invercargill to Christchurch, so we trekked up to the only pri- arriving there at 7 a.m. on the Satvate hotel on the island and paid urday morning. This allowed us 12 2/- each for a hot bath. hours to potter around the big flat We celebrated New Year's Eve city. with a few drinks at the Obam On Sunday morning, 4th January, Hotel. Later a few of us went to we set foot in Wellington again a local 'hop.' The hall was crowded with the feeling that our trip South as the islanders were there in full was well worth the modest expense force. We did not follow the island involved. custom of first-footing after mid- Those on the trip were: Ray night, so it turned out to be a fairly Brandeis, Trip Leader, Trevor, quiet New Year celebration. The Mary, Trevor Bain, Gilbert Branrest of the time passed quickly. On deis, Doreen, the two Rogers, John Friday afternoon we embarked de Bruyne, Rod. Milne, Adrienne once more on the "Wairua" for the Webb, Charlie Gordon, Noeline, first stage of our journey home. Derek, Shirley B. "Chook" August, Except for three of our members, B. Arnott, Neil Green, Bill Harvey.