I have always loved reading stories and watching documentaries about people pushing their limits in the outdoors, facing the elements. This concept finally happened to me at the end of 2020. It has been a whole lot of adventure and exploration in the last couple of years and I usually do not write about it but my recent hike on Stewart Island is well worth a yarn (photos by Julie and Scott).
Sometime around August 2020, my partner Scotty and his best mate Richard talked about the idea of hiking on Stewart island over the new year. It only took a couple of weeks for the fruitful idea to spring into life and the three of us decided to make it happen right after Christmas by doing the North Western Circuit, a 10-day hike (around 120km walking).
Stewart Island (Rakiura Island in Maori) is one of the wildest and most rugged places in New Zealand. It also happens to be the country's third-largest island, located 30km (19 miles) south of the South Island.
We knew that carrying 10 days of food was no joke and required some serious planning. Scotty and I took care of the menus and the portions for the three of us (I have given a full list at the end of the article). I was so excited to finally set foot on this iconic island, well known for the ability to see kiwi birds in the wild in daylight! It was high on my to-do-list after I moved to New Zealand in 2017.
Needless to say that packing took us several days, Scotty and I had also to prepare and think carefully about our camera gear. It is very tricky being a photographer sometimes, as we knew we would need several lenses. The decision making took a while as weight was our main issue. We needed at least a wide angle and a zoom each for landscape and wildlife, which most people don’t carry on such hikes.
We picked up our friend Richard in Dunedin and drove to Bluff, a town located on the southern coast where we boarded our ferry to Oban (the main town of Stewart Island with just over 400 permanent residents). It was a very smooth crossing and we knew that the next few days had an ideal weather forecast, sunny and light winds, pretty rare on the island. The night before departure we had our very last pub meal of 2020 and we made sure we filled ourselves with calories. We did our final packing in our B&B room and started walking around 9am the next day.
My backpack was a total of 21,9kgs on day 1 and Scotty’s at least 25kgs… After carefully removing some non-essentials until last minute.
We also decided to carry some tents as the huts along the way are ‘first come, first served’ and we were worried some would fill in fairly quickly at this time of year. It ended up being a wise decision and it was nice to have some peace and quiet after a long day.
We met the lovely Ellen at our accommodation who was also starting her 10-day hike and offered us to share a taxi from Oban to the starting point (approx. 5km walk). We decided to walk all the way and we didn’t know at the time that we would regret our decision. The start of our track was a Great Walk (Rakiura Track), very easy and well defined. For a few hours we really enjoyed following the beautiful coastline on this blue bird day. The water looked tropical and the ocean was so calm, we couldn’t believe how lucky we were to start on such a high.
We crossed several sandy beaches, walked on our first swing bridge and stopped for our first lunch break by the Great Walk Port William hut. Removing our boots and socks after a few hours walking felt like heaven already. From this point on, we would leave the Great Walk track and start the circuit with a different one, heading North.
Some people who we came across on the first part of the track and who were hiking clockwise told us: ‘you guys still look fresh!’. At this stage I knew that 10 days would be long and hard but little did I know about what was actually lying ahead of us.
I have been so lucky to travel a lot in my life and I’ve always done some basic research about the places I visit as a bare minimum. I had seen lots of photos of Rakiura but this time I decided to not read too much about it as I wanted to be surprised by the landscapes and really discover it one day at a time. We knew about the safety recommendations and we always prepare for the worst. We were also preparing ourselves for that famous Stewart Island mud but none of us had actually any idea about the (terrible) quality of the terrain.
A few meters after stepping onto the new track that started the North Western circuit, mud was everywhere on the track, sometimes in deep puddles. There were roots everywhere too and we had to negotiate every step. Sometimes finding our way around the main track on drier soils, which was pretty rare to find.
We heard this saying many times along the track: ‘You have never seen mud until you have been to Stewart Island’. This wasn’t an understatement and I still find it hard to describe it accurately - it will never do it justice until you’ve seen it with your own eyes or experienced it on your own feet.
The track.
We knew we needed gaiters and I was very relieved we had packed some as it didn’t take long until we started having mud up to our knees. We were already much slower than on the Great Walk track as it was very easy to roll an ankle on the roots and we were taking it easy. On our first day, we walked for 19km with a total of 9 hours on our feet. Baptism by fire they say! Our bags were at their heaviest and everything got sore really fast especially for Scotty and I with our camera gear. During this first afternoon, Scotty got some excruciating pain in his back, knees and feet. His bag was very heavy and he started having a lot of pressure points in both his feet. His ego got a bit bruised when Richard quickly (and kindly) offered to carry some of his weight.
When we finally emerged from the bush after several hours and reached our last beach for the day, we could finally see our first hut in the distance: Bungaree Hut. Scotty collapsed on the sand, leaving Richard and I with mixed feelings. We were nervously laughing at the scene while being a little worried as we were only on day 1. We would both have packed more lightly in terms of camera gear if we had known that the terrain was so tough.
We met some lovely people every day in the huts and our first evening went really well. It was a mix of people who were on their final stretch after walking for 9 days and fresh new people like us that were starting. So many stories to tell and hear about, already.
Huts are pretty difficult for me as I am a light sleeper. I love their atmosphere but sharing the space and being woken up by snorers is not an easy task for me. I still had a pretty good first night and in the morning I couldn’t believe how sore my entire body was. From my grazed colar bones due to the bag straps, to my entire back and soles of my feet, I knew this would be a long journey. I am a very active person but this load was the heaviest I had ever carried in my life. I also should mention that this was my first multi-day hike (I had only done overnighters before).
We woke up fairly early to a beautiful morning light and we knew that the weather would stay steady for at least 2 or 3 more days. After that, we would lose reception when reaching the northern coast and we wouldn’t be able to get weather reports. Stewart Island is a very wet and unpredictable place, it is very rare to have several calm and sunny days in a row with no rain.
Bungaree hut
When we started our second day, we all felt pretty rested and got straight into the dense bush again. The moral was good. On average we would leave between 9 and 10.30am after breakfast and packing, and we would walk between 6 to 10 hours a day. Towards the end of the trip, we decided to leave earlier and earlier as it made the day much easier to handle.
Unfortunately by the end of that second day, my throat started aching and I started coughing quite a lot. Scotty and I decided to pitch the tent for me from the third night to ensure I would have better sleeps. But my cough got worse and worse rapidly and it didn’t allow me to sleep enough as the days went on. Our first aid kit could only do so much, so I tried my best to go to bed at decent times and preserve my energy as much as I could during the day. I already knew I had caught a bacterial or viral infection. It was a lot of exercise and body strain and falling sick so early on wasn’t ideal at all.
Coughing constantly on the track, I did lose a lot of energy during the day and I didn’t manage to recover enough during the night. I am now asking myself how could my body carry this weight and walk for hours for so many days. I guess the human body is stronger than we think and I often caught myself with tears due to the exhaustion and the frustration of not getting better. I was coughing for a long time at night before finally having a few hours break, and falling asleep. I often had to sit straight to catch my breath. Ironically, I was grateful to be in the tent as I would have been the one keeping everyone else awake in the huts otherwise!
Christmas Village hut
We stayed for 2 nights in Christmas Village Hut (our second hut) on the east coast and decided to break our itinerary by dedicating day 3 to climb Mount Anglem, Stewart Island’s highest point. The track starts at sea level from Christmas Village hut and we climbed 980 metres of elevation to reach the summit going through the worst possible track. On top of being very steep, one had to climb avoiding the mud holes, holding on to branches and constantly looking where the next step could go. We left almost all our gear at the hut, carrying just enough food, water and camera gear for the day. It was a small relief weight wise but the return trip turned out to be even harder on the body than our usual days. The views at the top were very rewarding (as always) and the heat surprised us all given the height. There wasn’t a breath of wind and as a result, an army of sandflies was waiting for us. After a quick lunch, some photos and soaking up the views we slowly made our way down, carefully negotiating our steps again.
Coming back to the hut at the end of the day was such a relief as our knees had started talking to us. Richard who was usually the fastest had come back first and told us he had rolled his ankle on the way down. Both Scotty and Rich now had problems with their feet and we were only finishing day 3. I was secretly worried we wouldn’t be able to carry on, taking into account my cold as well.
Stewart Island’s highest point
On a brighter note, I saw my first kiwi on day 4. I was walking alone at this stage hence my surroundings were very silent. I saw it after finishing a climb in a deep and dark bush patch. It was on the track foraging, so it hadn’t seen me. We both freaked each other out, the kiwi even made a small jump and my entire body froze. I couldn’t believe what was in front of me. I didn’t know if I had to grab my camera, call the boys or cry. After several days of hardship already, this was a sign telling me I had to keep going, that this place is beautiful despite the harsh environment. I watched it bounce away from me, back into the bush. I had tears of joy when I realised what had happened and I couldn’t help but wishing the boys had been with me to see it. When I caught up to them and told them, they were both really stoked for me. Eventually, I developed a bit of a habit seeing kiwi and I learnt to stop each time I was hearing something in the bush, observing the marks on the ground. Usually I would see one after noticing their white poo on the floor, signalling their territory.
I saw two of them before Scotty saw his first one. When that happened, I was walking behind him and when I caught up to him he was crouching on the ground, his camera in hand. I saw the Kiwi walking straight in front of him in the brightest part of the track. I knew he was getting great shots! I filmed the behind the scenes on my phone quietly hidden, as I would have been too noisy grabbing my camera. I didn’t want to ruin his moment. When it left ahead on the track, Scotty and I walked quietly and stayed close together hoping to see it again.
When we were getting ready to carry on walking, my heart stopped again. I grabbed his arm and put my right index in front of my mouth, telling him to stay quiet. I don’t know how, but I managed to see the kiwi’s feathers less than a metre from us between all the dense branches. I could see its body moving slowly, it had stopped behind a tree. We both crouched on the humid floor really slowly on our sore knees, grabbing our cameras in super slow motion and praying it would stay here for us. We both had a big smile on our faces, we were having our first kiwi encounter together!
The bird stayed close to us for almost 20 minutes and I finally got some photos. I couldn’t grab my telephoto from my bag unfortunately, this would have been the best opportunity for a close portrait. My knees were killing me as we had our packs on (it was too noisy to remove them, even slowly) but I was very grateful for this experience. Richard had been waiting for us ahead, for almost half an hour. We felt a bit bad but he had a feeling we had seen a kiwi. The boys had taken radios with them and we turned ours off while being with the kiwi, so we couldn’t give him a heads up about what was going on.
During our trip it was important for Scotty and I to keep the balance between photo time and walking time. We both have the patience to wait for each other on our trips being both photographers but we didn’t want to annoy Richard. Overall, our dynamic was very good and we constantly checked on each other.
We were having regular breaks every day, on average once an hour to put down our heavy packs and stretch our backs. After a while, we learnt that it wasn’t necessary to carry litres of water and we saved on weight by drinking from the waterfalls and river streams. The water is relatively safe on the island and we didn’t have any issues drinking it. We had decided to ditch our filter before starting the hike. Many people decide to boil or filter theirs, it is entirely up to everyone of course. None of us had any problems on the trip and we were also drinking from the tap in the huts.
Snack break
Richard - or Dr Rich as I would call him - took really good care of us and our feet along the way. Having more tramping experience than us and having hiked in the Himalaya for several weeks, he was very careful to tackle any foot problems early on. We would stop anytime one of us complained about a possible blister or pressure point. Scotty had a lot of pain in his boots and Richard had to wrap his feet several times on the track. The key is to prevent it as early as possible as the wet terrain forms blisters very rapidly.
It was one of my worst nightmares having to stop because of open blisters but fortunately this didn’t happen until day 6. Despite wearing good shoes, the constant stepping in mud puddles and streams softened my skin and I started having two blisters at the back of each feet that I couldn’t prevent. Wrapping with bandages and disinfecting it at night didn’t solve the problem but we managed to limit the damage. I had to walk even more slowly and sometimes even limping on the last days as the deep mud would suck our boots causing some frictions on the blisters when trying to lift them off.
We spent New Year’s Eve in Long Harry Hut, a beautiful hidden hut above the ocean and close to some boulders. The views were amazing but the sandfly situation was the worst we had experienced so far. Some huts had tiny cracks in their windows and the sandflies would find their way in. I knew that this time of year was the worst for it, they were another common challenge of the trip. Every day we had to be really quick removing our boots and gaiters by the huts’ doors, as we were being eaten in a matter of seconds. They bite every available millimetre of your skin. Stopping anywhere on most beaches or by huts was nearly impossible without being bitten by hundreds of these little devils. We were applying repellent but it didn’t do much. There were no lunch breaks or sunbathing near the ocean, we would usually run into the bush and walk until we were left alone. Eventually we found a few spots where we got relief and where we could really take in the amazing scenery.
Long Harry hut
We didn’t shower for 11 days in total and I had only one ocean swim on day 4 (it was a quick one as the sandflies were terrible). I remember feeling lighter for a few minutes before putting back on my smelly t-shirt and muddy socks and boots. A sea lion was sleeping at the end of the beach, it was pretty cool to see some marine life after being most of the time in the bush. Apart from kiwi, I saw many other species of native birds such as Stewart Island robins, tuis, tomtits, saddlebacks, kakarikis and seabirds like albatross and shags. If you know me, you know I love birds!
The scenery along the way was really mind-blowing, from mountains covered in native bush to giant sand dunes, crystal clear bays or rivers. Stewart Island is a very special place. Every day I was discovering a new landscape and a new challenge. The amount of deep mud definitely made it look and feel like a military training camp but nature knew how to reward us. I held on to the excitement of seeing kiwi every day, I focused on this idea and it distracted me from the pain in my body. It killed a few hours every day, I became slightly obsessed and it worked.
And it wouldn’t have been a real adventure without rain. And it finally arrived on day 8. It rained all day but fortunately not too heavy. We were very well equipped and all our gear was protected but I remember being cold when stopping and my moral was pretty low at this stage, as I was still sick and very sleep deprived. On that day, Scotty stayed with me and Richard carried on at the front as he was quicker. We were always making sure we had our PLB (personal location beacon) with us if we were the last ones and we got pretty slow on that day mainly due to me. Of course the track became muddier, the puddles deeper. We had to step on slippery roots pretty much all the time so we had to be extra careful. I remember crying a lot on that day. Scotty and I lost our temper with each other many times as I was particularly very negative about everything and very over it.
We reached the Big Hellfire Hut pretty late (its name was perfectly timed with the state I was in) and everyone else in the hut was also soaked. Each available cm in the hut was used to hang up socks, t shirts, shorts or towels. The room was damp and filled with a musty smell. There was no way we would go back outside to pitch the tent. That night, I was sleeping with everyone else inside. But oh what a feeling putting on warm and dry clothes and eating a warm dinner… Those little moments were the ones that made it all worth it.
The next day however was one of our biggest days and we knew we had to time it well as a part of the track was on a beach where the high tide would block our access. After chatting to our friends, we realised we had to start walking at 5am to avoid having to make a one hour detour via a very tricky side track. That meant setting the alarm at 4.30am.
Everyone in the hut was in the same situation so we all decided to follow this plan and went to bed fairly early. The Big Hellfire Hut is next to an unusual and high sand dune on the Ruggedy Range and we knew we had 15km to walk the next day. Among others, another peak to climb and a steep descent before reaching the high tide point. Again, I only managed to sleep around 2 hours as my throat was super itchy and sore.
I won’t need to mention the joy of getting up at 4.30am and putting on all our damp clothes and shoes from the previous day. At this stage my boots were very wet inside and I had two painful blisters covered in bandages, one on each foot… Happy days!
We managed to leave just before 5.30am and less than two minutes after leaving the hut, the best thing happened to me. Scotty and I were together and it was still pretty dark. A large kiwi emerged from the bush to my right and approached my feet. We both froze and the kiwi came right up to my boots, poking them repetitively for a few seconds and then started circling me. Of course I didn’t have my camera or my phone on me as everything was packed away due to the rain. One of those moments made to enjoy without any devices.
Up to this day I can easily say that this was the most extraordinary interaction I have ever had on land with wildlife, given that it is so rare to see kiwi in the wild. I was so sick and tired and I felt that nature was again giving me a sign of encouragement and strength, even love? I couldn’t believe it but I held on to that feeling. It certainly made me smile ahead of the long day that was in front of us. Isn’t it ironic that the best experiences sometimes happen in the worst moments?
We spent the next few hours walking on strong roots, up and down. At some point I had some mud up to my thighs while descending our last mountain. That last climb was the hardest thing Scotty and I had ever done. On the way up it was so steep that we had to stop after each step in some sections to catch our breath. We were sweating and swearing and I would often tell myself ‘what is the sense of it all?’ ‘What am I doing here doing this to myself?’ ‘We could have gone road tripping and surfing in sunny Northland’. When, you know…thoughts take over.
The mind can be very powerful and very destructive as well. It is in those moments that all our existence is tested. Many times I asked myself how much could I tame those thoughts? I had several days when I felt despair and anger were predominant and others when I felt relieved and proud. In general, after several days of tramping in nature, one starts to tune in. Tuning in to the sounds, the rawness, the simplicity of things. Nothing more is needed. This trip was definitely a mental flush for me, it allowed me to feel for real. And when you actually have the time to feel, it almost turns into something close to an ecstatic state. I had to face myself, my thoughts, and keep going as I didn’t have a choice and I am grateful for that.
When we made it to the ocean after our last steep descent of that one last mountain, our knees were so sore. Almost the whole way down, the mud was so deep it was sucking our boots in. We had to catch our weight on each step and I remember dangerously sliding down towards the end, as my legs were shaking. But when we finally reached that last beach, it was a mix of relief and anxiety. There was no time to rest, the beach track was still accessible but we didn’t have long as the tide was coming in rapidly. We could see in the distance the point we had to walk around to, about 1km away. If we didn’t make it around, a long and painful detour was waiting for us, adding about an hour and a half of walking on tough terrain above the beach cliffs and in the heat of the day. I remember walking steadily, Richard being ahead of us. When I saw him making it around, I knew we would too, as we weren’t far behind him. I felt a giant wave of happiness overwhelming me.
There were still 5 others from our hut who were walking behind us and we were really hoping they would make it around the point as well. Once the three of us were safe, we saw them in a distance and my heart was beating for them. It would be devastating to see them having to turn around and take the detour. Some of them made it around with wet feet as the tide was hitting the rocks and we all regrouped and collapsed on the beach. I could see huge grins on everyone’s face, the feeling of relief and achievement was here. We all took our dirty clothes off and went for an ocean swim, rinsed our t shirts and socks and for about an hour, sunbathed for the first time on a sand-fly-free beach. Finally! For most of us, this was the first contact between our bodies and water in 10 days and we were all so grateful we could actually relax without being beaten by hundreds of hungry sandflies.
We had made it. From now on, we had only about 45min left of walking on the beach until our very last hut in Mason Bay. The toughest day was behind us and we had almost completed the whole circuit. The next day we would only have to walk for 4h on flat wetlands before reaching our final pickup spot.
While sitting on the hot sand, refreshed and pack-free, I told myself this was all so worth it. I even got a bit emotional looking back at everything I had endured: sleep deprivation, sickness and pain. I was so happy I wouldn’t have to climb any more mountains and that we had accomplished this all together. After this mini break we all got our bags and finished the walk towards Mason Bay hut.
When we arrived it was a bit of a weird feeling. The hut was very busy and there were several people who had flown in from Oban instead of walking, to spend a few days on the west coast. It was like coming back to civilisation slowly. We told a few stories to the ‘fresh’ people and felt replenished with food and rest. Another highlight was to be given some leftover food and treats left by our friends Ellen and Hugo who had arrived earlier than us in Mason Bay. We will never forget that bread, jam, peanut butter and lollies. It felt like we hadn’t eaten in weeks! We were so grateful.
I spent my last night in the tent coughing and I was very ready to see a doctor. On our last morning, my blisters had thankfully not gotten worse and we left Mason Bay hut just before lunch. The next hours were very easy, as completely straight and flat. It was nice to discover a new kind of scenery, the wetlands. Some parts of the track were even on boardwalks, this was a holiday. It even got boring and a bit monotonous in the end, we just wanted to arrive. We got very lucky as after heavy rain, a part of this track can be muddy to the point it raises to waist level. Fortunately the weather hadn’t been that bad and we could cross with almost dry feet.
Reaching Freshwater hut was very exciting as this was the end of our hike but we agreed that the sensation of relief and happiness had been stronger the day before after completing the hardest day and making it before the high tide. Arriving at our pick up point was truly relaxing, it was sunny and warm and we even met some familiar people we had met earlier like Jonas, from Christmas Village hut on the East side. Everyone opened their packs and started drying their shoes, socks, packs cover and clothes on the grass. It was an explosion of gear. Our boat was picking us up at 5.45pm so I had a last little wander (pack free) in the near bush with my camera where I found my last kiwi. Once on the boat, I remember feeling weird. Weightless and privileged not having to walk the last few kms back to Oban. The very last part of the track was in bad shape so everyone got the boat back.
Freshwater hut, end of the circuit
Once back in Oban and with a last burst of energy, we all walked pretty fast the last few kms to the pub where we all had our last feed before the hike: the South Sea Hotel. Never in my life had the beer tasted as good as then. We all devoured our fish and chips and burgers and pretty much everyone managed to fit in a dessert. The food got absorbed so fast, like water disappearing in the soil after watering a house plant. We were all pretty smelly but oh so happy…
On my hardest day towards the end of the trip, I was so broken that I remember telling Scott ‘I am never ever coming back to Stewart Island’. Looking back on this amazing adventure, I can now say that I definitely want to go back and explore more of this island sanctuary. As I mentioned this before, the hardship of a mental and physical challenge in the outdoors teaches us and forces us to be present and makes us stronger.
Shortly after coming back to the mainland, I went to see a doctor in Queenstown. I learned I had had a bronchitis for the whole duration of the trip and the doctor told me I had been fortunate not to get pneumonia. In the end, the positives outweighed the negatives. The highlight being seeing 8 kiwi in 10 days.
I wouldn’t have been able to do this trip without the mental support of my amazing partner Scotty and our friend Richard. Thank you Scotty for keeping me up when I was at my lowest. And thank you Richard for repetitively asking if you could help carry my heaviest lens for a few hours and for taking care of us. I certainly learnt a lot about myself and my own capabilities and proved myself that anything I want to do, I can do it.
Day 1 at the start of the track, still looking fresh.
A huge thank you to all the beautiful souls we met along the way: Jonas, Ellen, James and Trina, Lockie and Hanke, Hugo, the very brave family with three children, the three young legends who were walking to the Tin Range and everyone else we met on the track or in the huts who made us smile on this adventure. Thank you Macpac for the support with our outdoor gear and clothes. And also super grateful for the yummy ultra-light dinners from Radix.
And thanks to all of you readers,
Julie x
Our Gear List (for Scotty and I):
tent (Macpac Duolight)
knee high gaiters
sleeping bags
light hiking pillows
PLB (Personal Locator Beacon)
First Aid Kit
hiking boots
headtorches + extra batteries
2 pair of hiking socks each (one for hiking and one dry pair to wear in huts)
2 pair of shorts each
2 hiking t-shirts each with an extra merino singlet in case
1 rainjacket shell each
1 light puffer jacket each
1 synthetic insulating jacket each
1 light fleece
1 mid layer - polytechnic fleece
1 pair of rain proof pants each
1 pair of lightweight hiking pants each
1 pair of thermal pants each
1 beanie and 1 cap each
1 pair of gloves
Sunblock
insect repellent (including strong deet for sandflies)
basic toiletry including a toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs, a mini soap and mini face moisturiser
mini dishwashing liquid
1 spork each
1 lightweight mug each
1 lightweight bowl each
1 small power bank and iPhone cable to recharge our phones
Our food list:
Breakie:
60g of oats per morning with a dash of cinnamon, milk powder and brown sugar (mostly for taste) + couple of nuts
Mocha coffee mix: chocolate powder, milk powder and coffee
Lunch:
pocket of tuna or chorizo with cheese and crackers. Scott and I have stopped eating pork for more than a year and we almost don’t eat meat anymore but we made an exception for this trip
Dinner:
dehydrated Radix meals (800 kcal each)
Snacks:
dates
snickers (for calorie intake)
a couple of M&Ms
dry apricots
nuts
Electrolytes
