Regrets and Mussels on Stewart Island
Hiking New Zealand's southern island
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.
— Aristotle
New Zealand is more than the northern and southern islands: a boat trip or flight further South is Stewart Island. With only four hundred inhabitants it happens quite regularly that there are more visitors than locals on the island. The population manages to make some money from tourism, while maintaining the typical small community atmosphere. Everybody knows one another, including all the peculiarities and bad manners. Whenever there’s something going on, a harmonious solution is always found. On this island - where doors remain unlocked at night - there is only one village and many square kilometres of pure nature.
I had my heart set on the ten-day North-West Trail along the coast. My entire being became alive, just by reading about it. I had spent long hours calculating how much food and gas canisters I would need for ten days. It would be quite an adventure, and not without risks; the trail is well-known for the abundance of mud, which can make hiking more difficult. Not to mention the sand flies, whose bites are rather annoying. That is the trail I want to do. No well-trodden paths, but a true nature hike and being entirely left to my own devices.
The weeks before my arrival on Stewart Island were marked by pouring rain as a couple of storms swept across the island. Nevertheless, I arrive with everything I need for a ten-day trek. I just need to stock up on gas canisters on the island, as these are not allowed on the ferry. I am having the jitters just thinking about the challenge I have set for myself.
