Thread: The Trip

After two years of planning, the trip to Stewart Island was finally on!
We had booked two blocks in the Big Glory Bay area. But I saw a last minute availability for Abraham’s bay so had a quick change around, as I wanted the solitude. Which I felt was not going to happen with the activities of the mussel and fish farms in the bay.
I flew in from London and had a quick talk with the police as I got my firearms permit. They were faultless and really nice to deal with this time (so much better than the last time I came in).
Picked up by my Dad and brother we dropped by a hunting store in Hamilton on the way back to Dads to top up on a few supplies.
The next day we did a bulk buy of non perishables and sent them south on a main freight shipment along with the rest of the camping, fishing and hunting kit.

I had two lovely offers to pick up the shipment from @berg243 and @Feebz cheers guys.
That night Dad and I went down the RSA and I was invited the next day on a fishing trip up the Firth of Thames.
Fishing south of Miranda in eight feet of water saw us catch our limits and some big snapper fought. Lots of screaming lines. Most of the time you weren’t sure if it was a shark or big snapper until a few minutes into the fight. Good stuff and a good start to the trip and return to NZ.

With a few days up my sleeve before we drove south I headed into the Kaimais on an overnight trip to get in a bit of match fitness and test some of the gear.
Heading in on Sunday afternoon I saw so many cars at the Wairere falls car park I wondered if this was a good idea. But I soon found that most were just day trippers into see the falls.
I took my time heading to the top and did run into two groups of hunters which I had a quick yarn to. The first guys had only found a cast antler but the second group with there wife’s and young falla in toe had scored a hind.
By evening I had a nice fly camp set up just off clay road.

I went for a quick stalk. The conditions under foot where dry to say the least. It was also very hot, but my little water filter worked a treat and every time I came to a stream with water in it I could top up my bottle. No roars where heard. As night settled in I found I had left my power cord at home so could not top my phone up from my battery reserve.
Also my knee was playing up. The thick regen growth here was not helping that. As dawn kicked me out of bed I heard my first ever Kiwi in the Kaimais. I sat for a long time listening to him call as I watched the southern cross dim and the sky brighten. I slow stalked down clay road with fresh sign at my feet, but the wind just would not play ball. With my left knee really starting to muck me around I headed for camp. At a crossroad in the tramlines, the wind turned in my favour and the sign picked up. I could hear deer browsing on the other side of a windfall to my front. As I negotiated this windfall the wind swirled followed by a snort and the barking of a hind a crash and they were gone.
Bugger this I’m off I thought. I headed back and packed up camp. By the time I got to the top of the falls the knee was getting tender. I limped down and was home in good time. With some magnesium and turmeric stuffed down my throat I sorted my gear.
The new Salomon boots had been a treat to walk and stalk in, which was a relief. The knee was a little worrisome but it was fine by the time I got to Stewart and never troubled me for the rest of the trip.
Also I did not leave my power cord behind again. MapToaster never let me down. I just needed to remind myself to keep the phone in low battery and flight mode to conserve battery. My brother ran a Garmin gps which took an age to load. I’m sure other models run better but in comparing the two I’d go with map toaster.

Heading South finally!
We left for Wellington at five and made the ferry in good time crossing over, dodging South Islands passport control and pulled into Renwick with light to spare. Nice to see a ute pulling into the servo with a solid red stag in the back. A quick word to the friendly hunter and a wishing of luck for the rest of his roar.
With a good nights sleep under our belts we headed south at five the next morning. Driving through Kaikoura was so different to the last time I had driven this way, pre earthquake.
The rest of the day was more road with the only real fun being that for some reason the police thought we were also cops! For the entire trip we would get a wave from them. Might have something to do with Dads commodore.
We made Invercargill and picked up the mountain radio and plb then did our soft shop before heading to Bluff.
We found our airB & B just up the road from the four square. A quick unload and I drove back to Iners to pick up the main freight from @Feebz he was out stalking but I left him a present for his trouble with his good wife. With luck she may have even put some in the fridge so that he had something cool to drink on his arrival back home.

The next morning saw Foveaux strait in a foggy but flat mood. We had a quick bite to eat at the South seas hotel before jumping on the water taxi with friendly Chris who skippered us up Paterson’s inlet to the block.
The sun was out and the tide when we landed 200 meters down the beach from the hut. We loaded the gear in our boat and walked this as close to the hut as possible before unloading.

Unfortunately we found the hut in a bit of a state. Dirty floors and old half full food containers as well as left broken pots and pans, boots and fins that were melted and of no use. Also no wood and the pot belly full of ash. The outside fire pit was full of burnt out tins and beer cans and melted rubbish.
So the first two hours at camp where spent sorting the inside of the hut. Over the coming days we carried on this task of cleaning up. Taking out with us two extra rubbish bags of left overs from previous parties. I even lugged a beer can back from 2km inside the bush. Like really the guy had had the audacity of not even leaving it full, I mean really?
Thanks to @Ghost for telling me to take a file for the axe and the rope for the boat!
There was a 10 litre container set up as a float 200meters down the beach. But I found a mooring closer to the shore, that we added a couple of plastic bottles to as floats. We then attached a looped rope onto this and back to a tree. So we could pull the boat backwards and forwards as the tide dictated. Saves you a swim or dragging the boat over the mudflats at low tide. 250meters of rope is needed for this. We didn’t have enough so had to join a few together which was a bit of a pain as the fishermans knots kept getting caught up in the float. A naked swim at 9 one morning ended with me sitting in front of the fire teeth going like a chatterbox. (That’s when I found the closer mooring)

31/4/19
The first mornings stalk on the second day, saw my brother head left along the shore while I decided to head right around the bay and check out the faces along the opposite shore line. I’d walked around ten meters and started to laugh, as here in the sand where fresh hoof prints. I called out to Dad who came to investigate and we followed them around to the headland. We found the animal had been feeding on a cut broadleaf branch left from the previous party. This we replaced as there were only a few leaves left.
My brother had heard me call out but not seeing what Dad and I where doing he turned back to negotiate a log. Looking up he saw a big hind stretch her neck out before walking away. He never got another look at her.
Once I had sorted the branch I carried on around the bay navigating over the mudflats and entering the bush line by where the main river flowed into the bay.
Sign of young animals was instantly encountered. I slow stalked till I hit the first ridge and then headed up through the crown fern moving slowly from windfall to windfall. The weather was hot and still and I had trouble keeping from sweating. Once I passed the 100meter mark fresh sign ran out. There had been animals here, but a month earlier. I went higher to see if sign would improve and had to dodge a waterfall that feed a river back into Abraham’s bay. I crossed the 200 mark and dropped into the next catchment of Euchre creek. By now I had seen lots of bird life, bell birds, Tui’s lots of wood pigeons and a few Kaka as well as loads of orange fronted parakeet. Good to see these as the last time I’d seen native parakeet was in Pureora back in 98.
Checking map toaster I decided to move back over into Abraham’s bay as the wind was again being a sod. I skirted around a big grove of leather wood and dropped hight. As soon as I hit the 100 meter mark, sign picked up and I went straight back into stalking mode. But the wind kept on being a right sod. It felt as if I was just pushing the animals to one side like the bow of a boat and the little sods where just moving back once I’d past. I found some good country to come back to in the coming days and would stay below that 100 meter mark. Time for a beer so I headed for the hut.

I found Dad in the bush at the back of the hut by the stream. He was looking around in the dirt. Hey I called out, he looked up all grins. He then proceeded to tell me that he’d been standing there set up to still hunt a nice clearing. Out had walked a nice big hind. Which proceeded to walk across his front. Dad then said it was like something out of the movies. He got her in his crosshairs and pushed the safety off. Unfortunately he had only pushed the old lee Enfield safety half off. So when he squeeze the trigger the rifle went to half cock and locked up. Unsure what had gone he tried to lift the bolt to load another round. The hind had even moved closer. The bolt would not lift and Dad was at a loss as what to do. A flash of colour to one side and the hind lifted her head and ghosted away. Dad came back to the hut and placed the rifle on the beach till my brother came back and helped unload it and show him where he had gone wrong.
He had then returned to his spot to pick up his day bag. Which is when I had found him.
We collected some dead standing wood and spent the rest of the day sorting the hut. Cutting wood and collecting cockles from below the high tide mark off the sand bar in front of the hut. These went down a treat as hor d’oeuvres that night.
Dusk fell and we could hear Kiwi calling from the back of the hut and across the bay.
Score Deer 3 hunters 0
1/4/19
Day two dawned blustery with swirling winds and scattered showers. My brother headed off to try his luck with his hind. Dad headed back to still hunt his little spot. I decided to try up along the beach and then headed in land to the faces behind the hut.
My day was made up of more frustrating winds and noisy crown fern. But I was having a ball. Moving from windfall to windfall I was onto good sign.

I even found a huge tree that had been turned into a high seat, with a ladder up its leaning trunk. Climbing up gave good views down to natural fire lanes through the bush. Also there were two broadleaf trees directly in front of it.
Further back I came onto old buck sign. But still no deer seen.
With the flue dampener rusted out on the potbelly we were going through the wood.
So we made a pack if you had not shot a deer you had to bring in dead wood.
An island at the back of the hut where the river came out supplied us with a good load of standing manukau that could not survive the marshy conditions. This was better than driftwood which was saturated with salt water. Supplemented with our bag of coal we had a toasty hut.
Score Deer 3 Hunters 0. April fools on us.
2/4/19

Well most of you have probably read the stories of “Married to a Kiwi”, so please be patient while I explain to those that don’t know what this is all about. When planing this trip I wanted my good Wife @Mrs Sideshow to come and see this amazing Island. After lots of discussions this was the day that she was coming to the island. She had said that on the day she was landing to not wait and get out stalking. Have a look at her blog www.marriedtoakiwi.com for her side of the trip.
So I got my brother to drop me in one of the bays off of Euchre creek, once I had thawed from my earlier morning swim.
These series of bays are just beautiful with crown fern and little clearings in between huge stands of old Rimu and Beach trees. The little gully’s also give you a small advantage as you can see down under the fern from above, and under from below. The ridges between the bays showed sign of buck but most was old. As I headed back towards the bay. The map shows a track but I found no sign of this. I did find a nice fresh rub in the creek bed and shortly after while having a break my nose lead me onto a dead hind. She had been where she lay for around four to six weeks. How she died who knows? She was stretched out under a little crown fern just behind a wind fall with the sun shining on her. Not a bad resting place. I just hope she did not suffer.

Decisions: stay low through 400 yards of tight stuff? Cut high through a saddle. Climb high, so up I go following a good deer trail. Once at the top I cut back towards the coast and lose hight bring me back into Abraham’s bay. This area is directly opposite the hut and is full of gully’s and ridges that fall and lead into the bay. Lots of good sign and I even find a pad where the hinds have come and left pellet piles. With good buck sign all around. I try the whitetail deer caller that I’d brought in the states. Giving fawn and young hind calls no luck and still no sightings. But I do see a good old beach tree that I can climb into over this gathering place.
In fact I find many such trees while hunting in Abraham’s.
I’m almost up to the main river when I here voices and drop to the shore line to see Mrs Sideshow in hiviz walking up the beach on the other side of the bay. I call out but she doesn’t hear me and walks into the bush.
I carry on around the bay. Once your down on the coast here you really need to be careful where you place your feet as a lot of it is salt marshes. This is not only very stinky but also ruins the waterproofness of your boots. Walking on the stony ground and on top of the grass heads is better than trying to stride out across the eel grass which only leads you into knee and I would say waste high stinking goo.
So the returning great white hunter meets his wife on the beach of Stewart Island after last seeing her in Britain. With me carrying a great big dead branch.
Not the image that I had envisioned, but here we were. The good news was that she had had a good trip in. As a seasoned sailor she had even been engrossed with her book as Foveaux strait put on a show that lead to more than one green face. (They had cancelled the sailings the day before)
We went for a stroll down the beach and I gave her a crash course in orienteering.
Also a belt with knife survival blanket and whistle just in case.
Dinner was made and a few beers and rums were killed.

Score Deer 3 Hunters 0
3/4/19

With the coming of dawn I had finally been able to get a full nights sleep. Mrs Sideshow had brought with her some excellent ear plugs from Germany. These little babies are like little wine gums that you roll into a ball and then push into your ear moulding to the shape of it and cutting out almost all noise. No more snoring was heard for the rest of the trip.
Fire lite, kettle on the go and have a quick sneak out the door to take a few photos of the sunrise and check to see if any Mrs or Mr whitetail were eating our baits. They had been, but footprints make a thin soup and poo makes a worse shish kebab!
After breakfast I made my plan for the day. My brother was still trying for his hind, Dad was still still hunting his spot and I had decided to go back the pellet bed on the other side of the bay.
I got Mrs Sideshow to drop me off by boat as she wanted to also have a crack at catching a few blue cod.
Straight opposite the hut was a nice little cove with no rocks where you could get into. You just needed to be careful with the retreating tide as it would get shallow quick. On landing I came on some big cat prints in the sand. We all had standing orders that these were to be shot on site. We had the tramp back at the hut set the entire time we were there but had no luck.

Once I had my boots back on, I took my bearings from map toaster, four hundred yards and two hours later I was in my tree over the pad. Two hours of sitting and saw nothing. Feed up I climbed down walk the other way around the tree from the way I had come in and found a gut bag. Dam I thought! But the sign here was still fresh so I slow stalked back to the beach and coo-ee across to the hut. The good wife walked down the beach pulled in the boat on the rope loop, fired up the engine and came across and picked me up. Awesome!
Back in time for a late lunch.
But I was getting frustrated that I had not even seen a deer yet! On my previous two trips to the island I had seen two and shot one on the first day. The second trip, seen one on the first day and two the second scoring three deer by the end of the trip. Here I was just battling with the wind which blew one way when standing on the beach in front of the hut and was the total opposite once in the bush.
Planning your stalking here was a test of one’s patience.
Mrs Sideshow had had a battle with the engine on the boat. Bruised knuckles she had rowed back in after a failed fishing trip. We decided to skip the evening stalk and headed out for an afternoon of fishing to the right hand side of the bay. The hut log had suggested that this was a good spot.
With most of the rope taken up on mooring loop we only had a very short anchor line so drift fished on an incoming tide from Euchre creek back towards Abraham’s bay and around 200 yards out. Bites came fast and we ended up with four blue cod. Two of which where a good size. We had also seen yellow eyed penguin and had caught four sharks. Two seven Gill around a foot long and two spotty sharks the same size. For those that don’t know these spotty sharks have a spike/tooth behind each dorsal fin so care needs to be taken when handling them.
I released the sharks.
It was great to get out for a fish and a good old talk on all of that had happened to us since we had parted in England. I must say that I for one have gotten a huge kick out of how Mrs Sideshow was enjoying the Island.
Tea and dishes done we fired up Dads small generator to recharge phones, gps and computers. I got the storm kettle on the go and added this hot water to the solar shower. With a bit of trial and error my brother and I figured out that two bottles of rum and one storm kettle gave the perfect temperature for a nice shower. (The rum bottles had been empty of the rum first of course)!
It’s nice to be clean and one of the chaps on my previous trips to the Island from Thames Valley Deerstalkers had brought with him one of these kettles and a shower. So I swore that if I ever came back I’d make shore that I had the same set up. So Mrs Sideshow had electricity, hot shower, fresh fish and cold rum. No complaints there!
Score Deer 3 Hunters 0 but fish and cockles eaten!
4/4/19
The weather forecast was not to flash! Blustery showers with swirling winds.
With the camp up and running we all decided to head out to try and get an animal on the ground. Meat stocks where starting to run low as the warm weather had by now melted the ice. Not that we were short of food with cod fillets.
My brother headed back up the bay to try again for his grey ghost. He had found a ground hide and had staked this out over the last few days.
Dad was still still hunting, having seen two he was rubbing it in. Today while walking into his spot he was concentrating on stepping over a log. On looking up he saw hind looking straight back at him. She gave him the good old whitetail salute as she bonded off through the woods. Not even a look in for him this time around.
Mrs Sideshow and I head back to the big tree stand behind the hut. This was her first time in New Zealand forests proper. No tracks. I navigated us back to the tree and then head left and gained a little hight staying around the 40/80 meter mark.
The rain started to come through the canopy. So I found a big beech and rata tree that had a nice natural shelter underneath so that we could make a brew and have lunch.

Half an hour later the showers had eased and we ghosted away. I was very impressed on how my other half had adapted to moving through the bush and crown fern. She was as quiet if not more quiet than me. I took my time and pointed out the birds and trees as well as any sign. Showing her what was old or fresh. She especially liked the fan tails and robins that are very curious and would come right up close and personal to get a good look at what you where up to.
We stalked all day with improving weather conditions. By now we had reached the back of the flat area on the map of Abraham’s bay. The wind was quartering left to right. Once we hit the main river we stalked back into the wind and headed for the coast.
Fresh sign all about and prime stalking conditions but no deer.

Back to the hut.
Score Deer 4 Hunters 0 Fishermen happy.
5/4/19
My brother had had enough of his end of the bay and decided to try his luck in the area we had been in the previous day. My good wife needed to crack on with a bit of work. So I decided to try some fresh ground and headed up to the left of the bay past the boat and my brothers spot. Climbing up to the headland I hit fresh buck sign. Big prints big poo and very very fresh. I moved through the first windfall and tracked him through two more before he stuffed me and headed back in the direction of where I had first started. I never heard or saw him. To good for this amateur.
They don’t get this big without a bit of cunning in this heavily hunted block. I’d love to be here in there roar, to have a decent crack at them when they are in full rut.
He was living right on the edge of some very steep and thick stuff. I doubt that many stalkers even looked into this area as there are so many easier spots to stalk.
Duped I turned back inland cutting across the stream that flows out here near the head of a the bay and pushed further across towards the slips. Slow with the wind in my face but sign was drying up.
Frustrated when the wind once more turned and pushed straight into my back.
I dropped back to the beach and came out near the boat. Really annoyed.
I sat on the bank looking out across the bay with blueish sky and clouds skipping across the sky. “Don’t get stroppy”! I told myself as I thought about heading back to the hut. “You won’t see them from inside that”! I chastised myself. I turned and headed back into the bush. The time 4pm. Two hours of slow stalking had me in the gentle valleys around 600 meters in land from the hut. Ground I’d covered before. Moving slowly from windfall to windfall. A grey leg moved away to my left. No had I seen that? Moving slowly to one knee I saw the hind 30 meters in front of the windfall hovering up leaves. No time for a shot she steeped into the crown fern. I slowly stood and negotiated the windfall. A big tree with a buttress root 10 meters to my right gave me a better vantage point to look down into the crown fern. Now where had she gone? Had she seen me steep up onto this? No a small flash of colour low down and 50 meters in front. Judging by the direction of travel what ever that was would step into a mossy clear spot 80 meters away. The bank behind this was clear. I took a rest on the tree and quietly watched the fern as it rustled and moved towards the clearing. Finally a head, two ears, a young hind stepped out, skinny I could see her ribs. Thumbing back the hammer I lined up low on the front left shoulder as she quartered away. I lost her in the recoil. Looking back reloaded. Where did she go? Actually which fern was it that I last saw her by?? Bloody hell! Ummm? I looked at my watch five past six. The whole stalk had taken a full ten minutes from the site of the rear leg to now. There was no movement out there. Having sorted out which fern it was I pick the two trees either side of this. Glad I did because once I stepped off my vantage point the whole lot just looked the same. I stalked forward. Nothing. Really?! OK! I took another step and here she was. Head down under a log front left shoulder shattered the round had gone through and come out low in the cress of her neck. Hart and left lung gone.
Checking her udder I found she was dry. Good no fawn going hungry.
Chris the water taxi skipper had said that a guy on the main land was offering a $1700.00 reward for live fawns. Good luck finding one in this jungle.

A quick look at the jaw bone showed she was around two and a half maybe three. Why she was so skinny I could not say as liver and kidneys I found to be healthy. Her left ear though had an old bullet hole in it!
I found a nice hole in a ground stump and dropped the gut bag and head into it. I threw my pack on my front and loaded her on my back propping my rifle across her legs. Checking my phone I picked a route and set off for the hut. As I quietly walked back I tried shouldering my rifle but saw this exercise to be pointless. So I gave stalking away and just enjoyed the walk. Thinking how nice it was to finally having seen one and not only that but taken the first one that I’d seen, with a nice little stalk in to top it all off. That’s a personal best for me on Stewart Island. I came out on the coast behind the hut at the back of the bay. Forgetting my own advice I walked up a marsh track between the marsh grass and splash up to my knee! Dam! A small tree stopped me from losing total balance and helped pull that leg out of the hole. Once I reached the creek I washed the worst of the mud off. My old huntec puttees had stopped the mud and slush getting into my boots and socks.
Walking around the head land I saw my brother out on the cockle beads looking up the bay towards the boat. I low whistle and he came striding across. Hand shakes and a few back slaps. Then a few photos from Mrs Sideshow and Dad as I retold my day and stalk.

We hung the hind in the shade and I had a well earned beer as I cleaned my rifle and kit before firing up the storm kettle for a nice hot shower. Sunset that night was a good one as Mrs Sideshow and I stood on the beach listening to the Bacon birds and Kiwis start their even chorus.
Score Deer 3 Hunters 1 Fishermen happy!
6/4/19
I got up and fired up the potbelly and put on the kettle. Snuck out to see if there was any animals at the baits. Nothing but more footprints. Coming back from my morning contemplation in the long drop I failed to see the sign hung over the veranda and walked into HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. The hut had been decorated in balloons. Nice one guys. With the weather sunny Mrs Sideshow and I once more headed around the bay looking for Kiwi as they had kicked up a hell of a racket in this neck of the woods the night before. We had no joy though in finding any even using a Kiwi call blasted out from the phone speakers. Coming back onto a ridge saw fresh deer sign and we pushed through to the edge of a gully.
The hind sprang from below heading left to right. I had plenty of time and totally stuffed the first shot. I would have been a full foot behind her. Reloading I lined her up again as she crossed a creek and headed for the thick stuff only for the rifle butt to snag on my backpack strap. Forcing my head done onto the stock I tried to get a sight picture and saw a blur of grey a head and shoulder blades I fired. She had gone. I pocketed the to spent cases and looked back at my wife. “Did you see her”? “Yes just” she grinned back. “Stay here so I can go have a look at that spot” I said pointing to where the big hind had disappeared. Climbing down the bank I crossed the creek and walked across to where I had last seen her.
I signalled for the good wife to join me and I started to cast about for signs of a hit. But I new this was a pipe dream as running through the shot in my minds eye I new it had gone left and I’d missed. I tracked for 20 minutes before I called it a day. We stalked up to where I’d landed in the bay a few days earlier. Then crossed a few more gully’s and found another tree stand with a steps nailed onto a tree that looked over a face of crown fern. Lunchtime I fired up the little cooker and made us a brew. We sat in the sun quietly watching the other face and talking in hushed tones on what we planned to do with the remaining days.

Soon we packed up and cut back the way we had come but higher. We had been going for about an hour and had just come across a ridge. I asked Mrs Sideshow to stay put while I looked for a navigable route. I’d taken two steps and heard a crash. Looking back my wife was looking forward through a windfall at where the sound had come from. Eyes wide she said I just saw a big torso go that way. Looking down fresh buck poo. “He might still be behind that windfall run that way and see if you can flush him toward me” I whispered. She moved off the way I had come back. But not at a run. I new the momentum had gone and whatever had been there was now gone too. I called her back and we took a few more steps. Fresh hind poo and prints. A few more steps, I thought same animal that I had shot at earlier in the day as we were only 100 odd meters from where I’d shoot.
With the day getting on I pulled the plug and we headed for camp.
In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t shot that hind on my birthday.

Mrs Sideshow dropping me off for another hunt

9/4/19
Packing. All of us were up early for breakfast and then more packing. Before lugging the stuff down the beach to the boat. With the tide out we did not have the luxury of walking the boat as we had when we arrived. The rain held off and soon the sun came out. One final go through of the hut saw that the floors were clean as well as the fire grate. Also enough cut wood to see the next lot through two nights. A good stand of dead wood left leaning on the court yard tree.

The last few days I had eased up on the stalking happy with the hind I’d taken. My brother saw another but again failed to get contact. I had one final encounter at 1am when I took a pee with Mrs hind standing the other side of the big broadleaf that grew next to the hut. Guess they do get the last laugh these grey ghosts of the Island.

Landing at Oban Mrs Sideshow and I meet up with @223nut to have a coffee and gave him a couple of presents.

As we caught the ferry for the main land and watched the albatross flow our wake.
Mrs Sideshow nudged me and said “Thanks love I really enjoyed my stay, which block do you want us to do next time”?

Great stuff. Awesome place.

What happened to Mrs Sideshow? Did she opt for BoraBora ha?

Originally Posted by JoshC

Great stuff. Awesome place.

+1

Originally Posted by chainsaw

What happened to Mrs Sideshow? Did she opt for BoraBora ha?

A deals a deal greetings from Thailand

Thanks @JoshC I’d love to have seen a buck but just so nice to finally make it back there after all this time.

Great write up, and good to see the Mrs was happy too. That's always a bonus.

wicked as

Awesome write up , neat place ..did you find the hide on that wee island ? when I was last there a few years ago someone had built a hide there & laid broadleaf branches over the other side of the tidal flats on the bushline , I shot my first whitetail on that block to , Well done.

Great story. Totally typical of Stewart Is. I had my yacht moored over there for 10 years or so when the kids were small and poked into most bays on the shore side. Often saw deer on the beaches but never took a rifle and never saw a deer I could have shot anyway. Big fast "maxi" trailer power boats have changed the whole scene and considerably reduced the fish stocks (they can get down to Pegasus and back in a day, it used to be 10-12 hours steaming/sailing) - not their fault but just shows how "technology" changes things and not for the better unless the rule-makers keep up.

Great spot I shot my first whitetail there in the days before the hut. That was a couple of days ago.

Well done it bought back some memories and I’m not that old.....yet.

Cool story, glad to hear that you all enjoyed the island. Nice to get a hind also, they are not the easiest deer to stalk. No divorce coming up and intentions of coming back has got to be good.

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

Awesome write up , neat place ..did you find the hide on that wee island ? when I was last there a few years ago someone had built a hide there & laid broadleaf branches over the other side of the tidal flats on the bushline , I shot my first whitetail on that block to , Well done.

No @Boaraxa never ventured in there only around outside to grab the standing dead wood.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Great story. Totally typical of Stewart Is. I had my yacht moored over there for 10 years or so when the kids were small and poked into most bays on the shore side. Often saw deer on the beaches but never took a rifle and never saw a deer I could have shot anyway. Big fast "maxi" trailer power boats have changed the whole scene and considerably reduced the fish stocks (they can get down to Pegasus and back in a day, it used to be 10-12 hours steaming/sailing) - not their fault but just shows how "technology" changes things and not for the better unless the rule-makers keep up.

I noted that DOC have a no freezer rule. Also was told that they have hooked snapper off of Bluff so year times are a changing

Originally Posted by Shootm

Great spot I shot my first whitetail there in the days before the hut. That was a couple of days ago.

Well done it bought back some memories and I’m not that old.....yet.

Thanks @Shootm I think that the huts make a huge difference. Even though I still like the old camps. But at least the huts aren’t which an such an eye saw as some of the old camp sites. Just a shame there not treated with a little more respect.