January 29 - Oban, Stewart Island, New Zealand

This is our last port call in NZ and it is such a lovely day.  We are anchored just offshore this little island, the southernmost point in the country.  It’s located at 46°54’ S 168°08’ E.  Despite being in such southern latitudes, it’s very lush and green and the temperature is quite moderate.  Today the temperature got up to about 63°.  In the winter (our summer) the low temperature generally stays in the high 30’s to 40’s. The population is around 400 and it does have a school for children in grades 1 to 8.  After that kids have to go to the mainland for boarding school or live with relatives there.  The main occupations are fishing and working in tourism.  The island is home to the Rakiura National Park in which there are many species of birds, including among others albatrosses.

There were only a few tours offered and they all involved bird-watching.  Not that I dislike birds, but when I went on tours on previous cruises and the guide would say”oh look, there’s a yellow-bellied whatever,” I almost never saw it and that can be quite frustrating.  Instead I decided to take the shuttle into the little village of Oban and have a little walk around.

Oban is named after the town of the same name in Scotland. Yes, the Scots who came to Dunedin migrated here as well.  In Gaelic Oban means “little bay.”  This village lies along Halfmoon Bay and is tiny.  There are a few shops, a couple of rustic looking hotels and some restaurants.   Didn’t go to it, but one of the restaurants is supposed to have great fish and chips.  I wasn’t hungry, so maybe I’ll have to try it next time I come.

This and the one above are views of Stewart Island from my veranda.  Looks rather idyllic, doesn't it?

This and the next ones are of downtown Oban

I was walking around and I encountered a local lady limping along with an elastic stocking on one calf and foot.  I said “oh no, we’ve got an injury here.”  She told me that she’d sprained her ankle doing laundry. I told her she needed to stop doing laundry. Shortly thereafter I went into one of the few shops, this one selling nothing but clothing made of NZ merino wool.  I found a lovely sweater in the most gorgeous shade of teal and as I was paying for it the limping lady came in (apparently she works there). I said oh there’s the lady who hurt herself in the dangerous sport of doing laundry.  The lady waiting on me started laughing.  She said “so that’s the story she’s telling.”  According to the saleslady the limper owns a gin distillery and the gin won an award and she and her husband were celebrating when she took a tumble.  I don’t know which is true,  but the second version sounded like more fun..   I took a little walk along the waterfront and after a few minutes headed back to the tender dock.  

I spent the afternoon catching up on e-mails and writing about yesterday’s excursion. One funny thing (at least to me) I should mention is about BLT’s.  I love BLT sandwiches and on one of my last cruises I let that be known and whenever I went into a dining venue for lunch they would ask if I wanted a BLT today.  Somehow the word preceded me because every day I get asked if I would like one. Now I call that service.  By the way, they make a very good one.

I also forgot to tell something about the topography of the South Island which is what accounts for the contrast in landscapes. Lying in a roughly North-South direction are what are called the New Zealand Alps.  On the western side of the mountains is the Tasman Sea; clouds roll in laden with moisture from their passage over the water. When they get to the mountains they release that moisture and so the western shore is very green and lush.  On the eastern side where we were in Lyttleton and Christchurch the landscape is therefore more arid in the summertime.  Dunedin, yesterday’s stop, is  pretty far down on the southeastern coast so it’s not getting as much of the effect of the mountains. 

Tomorrow we'll spend the day cruising through Milford Sound and then it's off to see kangaroos.