Stewart Island 6

After a picnic lunch on the beach at Ulva during one of the sunny spells between showers, we went back to Post Office Bay to catch Ben's taxi to Stewart Island again.

Post Office Bay (sorry about the fogged up camera)

Post Office Bay got its name because a former owner of Ulva, Charles Traill, in the days when some of the smaller islands were inhabited, arranged for all the post to be delivered to Ulva. When the post arrived he would run up a flag that could be seen on the other islands. The islanders would row across to collect their mail, and these post days were important social occasions for people who spent most of their lives in isolation.
Charles Traill was also a plantsman and it is thanks to him that Ulva's native forest was preserved and survived to become the responsibility of the Department of Conservation.
The Department now manages the island carefully, and has eradicated most of the pests that were introduced to NZ with the best of intentions during the 19th and early 20th centuries but which have had such a devastating effect upon the country's native birds and plants.
Still the Department has to be extremely vigilant; it seems that, on average, one rat a year gets on to the island, either as a stowaway on a boat or even by swimming. There continue to be traps all over the island.

 With the pests eliminated birds and plants have been, and will continue to be, reintroduced to this tiny haven near the bottom of the world.
Once back on Stewart Island it was not long before we were leaving this quirky, remote paradise, boarding a 10 (9 passengers and the pilot)  seater Islander plane and heading back to Invercargill.