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| 52 Back Road, Stewart Island (Rakiura) |
My new life started just after 12 noon on Wednesday 19 January 2011 when I stepped ashore after a rough and exhilarating ferry trip from Bluff. I walked the 2km up to my new home at 52 Back Road and was welcomed by the birds - first of all by 3 kereru (native woodpigeon) swooping low along my drive, and a few hours later by a flock of kereru - I counted 9 in one rimu tree and 3 feeding on bushes below it. Pure magic!
It's now Saturday and a stunning day - the cold front bringing strong easterlies and cool temperatures has blown over and it's a warm, sunny day. It's hard for me to stop grinning - I am so lucky to be here at long last. There's almost constant bird song during the day and the frogs start croaking once the birds have gone to bed. There's also an amazing number of bumblebees here - they are just everywhere. I've also had dragonflies zipping around me as I turf the area for my new woodshed - what an idyllic place.
My gear has had a few extra days in Bluff waiting for the weather conditions to improve - there's a chance it will get over here this afternoon which will make my life a lot busier as I rack my brains for where to put it! My twee house seems cluttered with just what I brought in my pack so have no idea where to hide 18 cubic metres of stuff. I can see a big garage sale being a high priority. It's been fun 'camping' and making do with much less - a good excuse for cruising the days away.
Mail is coming through fine - I was surprised to find several letters/cards waiting for me on Wednesday; apparently the post office staff were wondering what to do with it as the jungle telegraph wasn't sure when I was moving down!!
It's the height of the tourist season now so I blend in very well. The township is buzzing although not many tourists walk this far out of town. I was out clearing up the cut gorse and broom on my driveway on Thursday and only 1 car went passed in over 2 hours - almost gridlock eh!!!It's time I finished off my woodshed area just in case my gear arrives; will post more later on.
