Rakuira track

Off bright and early, keen to get a window seat in the hope of seeing some albatross. One of the crew soon told me I should move to the rear of the boat as it was going to be a seriously rough crossing. He actually used much less polite vocabulary than that but I was brought up well.
I decided to try out Leila’s trick on the ferry in Thailand, of lying down and sleeping through it. While not achieving sleep I did, however, manage to hold onto the contents of my stomach, many others were not so fortunate. I sat up momentarily when I heard the word albatross and there was one right there with it’s amazing wingspan of 2.5m. Just effortless soaring above the crazy waves and at such speed, it was fantastic to watch but I quickly had to return to the horizontal position.
The first section of the walk was along the coast in amongst the strangest forest I have ever been in. Towering tree ferns, ancient Manuka trees, trailing vines and an assortment of things which I have no idea about. It was a bit like being in a jungle but instead of heat, humidity and insects there was just a lovely sea breeze wafting through making the tree trunks clank and squeak. Occasional moments along a sandy coves but mainly walking in the dense forest.
It’s hard to talk about the second section, through the interior of the island, without mentioning the mud. It made all other mud I have come across seem like pretend mud, that you might buy in so the infants could play mud kitchens. Stewart Island is renowned for it and it turns out, for good reason. I sort of enjoyed the challenge of keeping my feet dry; given that I am walking in highly ventilated, no waterproofing at all shoes, which I bought with Southern California in mind, it was indeed a challenge. Not sure I thought that one through.
Kept myself amused with thoughts of early explorers arriving in their seafaring vessels and setting forth into unknown interiors. Arrived at camp in good spirits and miraculously, with dry feet.