day 39 – oban, stewart island, new zealand

our ship from the tender dock on stewart island

sorry it's blurry, but it is a kiwi crossing sign

beautiful and rugged coastal beaches

wow!  just what the doctor ordered… i ended yesterday’s difficult day on a good note, and slept like a rock… i did wake up early, because i got a crew escort position for a tour of oban and had to meet, ready to go at 8 am… i told myself before i got out of bed that today would be different, better, and that it was up to me to make it so… i got to take one of the first tenders over, met our guide, john, and waited for our guests to arrive… there were only 16, a much nicer size tour than 40!  it was cool and cloudy (a little cold, but I thought it felt good) and I can’t believe how many folks missed this jewel because they didn’t want to tender over or because it wasn’t sunny… they missed the best part in my opinion… we were on a small bus and headed out to see the sights… the driver had a good sense of humor and was very knowledgeable about the history here, so everyone was mercifully quiet and listened… more than 85% of the island is a nature conserve and the lands and animals are protected… there are miles and miles of predator fences on the perimeter of the parks so that nesting pairs of endangered birds are now thriving here… we saw beautiful coastal rainforest, beaches, bays, boats, and the small settlement of oban.  here and there we would stop for short trail walks and photos.  slightly more than 10% of the lands are maori and only 3-4% are settled or open to development by westerners.  the township of oban has one hotel, a coffee shop (run by an american expat), a small grocer, a couple of shops and churches, a volunteer fire department, a clinic with two paramedic nurses, (if you are seriously ill or having a baby, they will fly you for free to mainland hospital 10-15 minutes by air) some vacation rentals and a population of about 300 year round residents. 

deserted beaches everywhere... but the water is cold!

the natural beauty was like something i’d never seen – in moments it reminded me of alaska, but completely different vegetation… it is a bird enthusiast’s paradise with thriving populations of many species ncluding the elusive kiwi and many species of sea birds, and you can hear them everywhere… the park service here maintains miles and miles of beautiful trails of varying difficulty for hiking (‘tramping’ they call it here) and the beaches and everywhere are so clean and well kept… there are places to rent sea kayaks or small boats… lots of fishing, and some of the best seafood is found here… it would be a fun place to come for a month or two and write songs and get away from it all…  oban is known to have stunning sunsets, and the flaming skies over the mountains are said to have been caused by the embarassed blush of a maori chief of long ago from the south island who came to stewart island, proposed to one and then another of the local chief’s daughters, was turned down by both and asked to leave and not return…

the ubiquitous fern spiral is a national symbol of life in new zealand

the tour was great, the people were mercifully cool today, and the beauty of the nature was like medicine after yesterday’s blues… it did me good and was worth the early wake up.  i came back, still missed nap time because a friend needed to chat about her blues (see, it’s the moon!) and i went to work and had a busy night… i was surprised that after this many port days in a row, late night was one of my busiest ever with many folks hanging til i was done… my buddies statler and waldorf seemed shocked that they not only had to share the lounge after eleven, but someone was even in their seats when they arrived… my theme tonight was “moon and stars” and i sang “old devil moon” and meant it… my regular piano bar gal pal who was under threat of forced d’bark showed up on a scooter last nite, and because she will not tax her heart/lungs with extra walking by procuring the scooter, she may get an extension… she wants to stay really badly, so i hope it works out for her…

my plan is to use the next few sea days to secure my recent emotional rescue by deliberately getting a bit more rest and some good sea air deck walking with headphones on so i can maintain some silence and minimize conversation for a few days and just listen to some good stuff and watch the waves… i am already feeling more myself today, i think it helped to get some out of my system and to talk with fam on the phone… it’s also less than 3 weeks now til bob comes, so that is getting more real as the days go by… the pictures here don’t do it justice… it was amazing…

view from overlook rock

port song for oban, stewart island, new zealand

(to the tune of “cheek to cheek”)

oban, i’m in oban, it’s so lovely here that i can hardly speak

it has a certain untamed wilderness mystique
it’s the prettiest place i’ve seen by far this week 

oh, man, i’m in oban, we took a bus around to take a little peek

and if i may offer my humble critique

the stunning beauty made my knees a little weak

and we drove up a small mountain to an observation peak

you could see the bay so picturesque and hear the sea birds shriek

the island’s home to many creatures, most of whom all have a beak

and there’s legends here of a maori chief who had some blushing cheeks

can’t you see, me and bob playing music out here,

a couple months a year

maybe at the coffee house here

in oban, i’m in oban, where the maori language to me sounds so greek

but i have to say my willingness to learn peaked

when i learned rentals are only a couple bills a week

land and sea, unspoiled with great ocean views

and fishing boats too

could prob’ly use some music, too

in oban, yes here in oban, where the kiwi birds play nighttime hide and seek

and developers cannot their havoc wreak

i’m so glad we hit stewart island, all the morning i was just smiling

i wanna come back here and stay for several weeks