Rakiura Track Day 1

Flew over to Stewart Island the Friday before last to do my 4th of nine Great Walk – the Rakiura Track. A very bumpy flight at times, but we made it there safely despite Auckland Girl being in the co-pilot seat.

Three of the four of us at the start of the Track at Lee Bay. This is five kms from Oban. As we only landed at 2.30 pm, we grabbed a shuttle over there, but you can walk to it.

There was a bit of rain for the first half hour hence the jackets and pack covers, but after that only sunshine.

 

Lovely track.

Quite diverse tracks on Day 1. It’s an 8 km hike to Port William.

I didn’t realise how beautiful Stewart Island is. You tend to associate it with the rough Foveaux Strait, not sandy beaches and calm blue waters.

After a while the canopy opens up.

There are two sections that go along the beach. This is Maori Beach, which is also a campsite. I like being in huts, not tents, but was almost jealous of the campers for their location.

As you can see it looks like it could be in the Coromandel.

A bridge at the end of the beach.

Me heading across.

A good shot of the water.

And a happy duck.

The final beach at Port William.

Port William Hut. Sleeps 24.

And the view from outside the hut. Again quite stunning and not what I was expecting.

A fairly easy day. We made the hut in three hours, arriving around 6 pm.