Birds, birds and more birds

My day on Stewart Island has been excellent, and luck seems to be holding - I'd thought that I was going to miss out on the kiwis because it seemed impossible to get hold of the kiwi man, and the information office said he was booked. But just now he called and said he can take me, so kiwis beckon!!

I went for a brisk walk this morning out to a lookout point, to see NZ's oldest stone house (it's a little cottage, and it shows that I've been here long enough to be impressed by something from the early 1800s now!) I carried on to the water taxi wharf for Ulva Island - cutting the time a little fine actually, but a bit of running up and down the many steps made sure that I made the taxi at the time I'd booked it.

Ulva is a wildlife reserve, predator-free and packed with birdlife. I saw most of the birds on the little booklet you can get, including kaka, green parakeets, bellbirds, really cute little tom tits and Stewart Island robins, and saddlebacks. Got some moderately decent pictures too, though many came out blurred. Am trying to put a few pics on Flickr while I'm here but it doesn't half slow down the internet.

Anyway, off for a quick shower and then fish and chips for dinner before kiwi watching.