Stewart Island 2

During the night of Friday 21 February on the sheltered campsite in the centre of Invercargill the wind was so strong that it rocked the van, and it was still gusty early the next morning as we prepared to catch the ferry to Stewart Island. This was no time for bravado; I took a sea sickness tablet.
Because we were going to fly back from the island, we left the van at Invercargill airport and had a 30 minute shuttle bus ride to the ferry at Bluff. There was little conversation amongst the passengers on the bus; all contemplating the rough journey to come. Some of them appeared a little strange anyway.
There was the man wearing tweed cap and plus fours (later I saw that he had a set of golf clubs). Another was dressed in highly polished leather boots and beige safari gear, including a peaked hat with netting over the face and material that covered his neck at the back - rather excessive on the bus, I thought.
On boarding the ferry, - like a very large power boat - for the one hour journey across the Foveaux Strait, we were warned that it was going to be 'bouncy' and told to sit at the back of the ship where the motion would be less. Also that the bar service had been suspended.
The ferry had large windows but all I could see was water; great, white-capped, rolling walls of it, which the ferry either skimmed along the top of or fell off and crashed down. It was like being on an enormous jet ski. With the help of my Kwells tablet, and unfeelingly ignoring the plight of those who should have taken similar precautions but hadn't, I enjoyed the ride.
As we approached harbour at Oban, the only town on Stewart Island, the sea calmed down, and we were treated to the sight of Shearwaters and Albatrosses skimming the surface. And the sun was shining.

Map of Stewart Island with asterisk to south and west of Oban showing where we stayed