Lynsey's blog post #8: Two (more) hikes, three homestays, and a Kiwi bird!
30 December 2025 I stayed at a hotel in Bluff last night (there weren't very many options in the small town), and breakfast was provided there before I headed to catch the ferry from the port across the street. I left two small bags behind the check-in counter before leaving, so I could carry less on the upcoming three-day hike, and it was free to store at the hotel. Originally in my research for this hike I thought I would leave the extra stuff at the DOC office in Oban, the only town on Stewart Island with a population of 400 people, but it seemed silly to lug it to the island for no reason except to pay the DOC to keep it safely in a locker. The sea was very rough when we left, and there were at least a dozen passengers who were physically sick on the boat during the one hour ferry ride. I felt fine but was given a cold cloth anyway by one of the boat crew to put on the back of my next. When the ferry arrived in Oban, I grabbed my backpack from the luggage storage bin and headed...