After having completed the Kepler Track at Easter, we decided we would try another of the Great Walks over the Christmas break. The Rakiura Track on Stewart Island is a three day 32 kilometre (20 mile) walk that can be made a little longer by turning it into a loop from the town of Oban. Each of the Great Walks were chosen to showcase different New Zealand landscapes and ecosystems and the Rakiura Track is famous for its lush forests, coastal scenery….and mud!
Not wanting to worry about getting a lift to the start of the track, we walked the additional distance from town and along the dirt roads that took us to the start of the track.
The gravel road turned into an old logging road which made for an easy start to our tramp. Just like the old gold mining roads that we have hiked around Reefton and other parts of the West Coast, it was hard to imagine the effort that had gone into cutting roads through this remote part of New Zealand.
The track followed the southern coast of Stewart Island and occasionally we we would come to a break in the trees and get a glimpse of the coastal wetlands. As well as mud, Stewart Island is famous for its bird life and we saw several Kingfishers flying past as we crossed the inlets.
We arrived in Kaipipi Bay in time for morning tea and sat on the grassy bank looking out over the bay and across Patterson Inlet towards Ulva Island. We later learnt that Kaipipi Bay was one of the main centres for exporting the timber that was harvested in this part of Stewart Island. As we sat watching the shore birds wading through the mud flats it was hard to imagine that this bay was once home to a large wharf and bustling timber industry.
We left Kaipipi bay and made our way on towards North Arm Hut where we would be spending the night. The track continued to weave through the dense forest. Occasionally we would get glimpses out across Patterson Inlet or would come across some rusting machinery from the sawmill industry that once thrived here.
We arrived at North Arm Hut and after getting ourselves settled we took the short track in front of the hut that led down to the shores of Patterson Inlet. We spent a pleasant afternoon watching the tide come in and resting our legs, relaxing in the warm afternoon sunshine. As the water level rose we went exploring the rocky tide pools and were amazed at the number of crabs scuttling around.
Eventually we made our way back up to the hut ready to cook up some dinner. After we finished our meal, we sat and listened to a fantasitic talk by the hut warden, who is one of the DOC rangers. We learnt a lot about the island and the natural and human history as well as the work that the DOC is doing on the island.