Take Jo for example. Confident and sprightly, Jo instantly gives the impression of being one of those overtly competent women - the kind that make their sturdy shoes and polar fleece vests match stylishly with their trendy, expertly coloured hair; the kind that can take querying phone calls with one hand, money for a tour in the other, never appearing rude or distracted; the kind who can command the attention of a room of mismatched tourists, pile us into a mini bus, take the enormous wheel and set up the speaker system so that her friendly voice fills the bus as she drives.
Deftly manoeuvring our Village and Bays Bus Tour through Oban - Stewart Island's tiny township - and along all 27km of twisting, sealed road, Jo chatters away with anecdotes about island life. She recalls the times when, prior to getting its own power scheme in 1988, Stewart Island electricity was run entirely on generators. She laughs about the outdated phone system involving wind-up phones and a Morse-code ringing system, still in use until 1998. Driving past the South Seas Hotel Jo affectionately imparts the antics of its most regular patrons - a group of men dubbed "the five-o'clockers". 
Since I arrived on Stewart Island, less than an hour ago, the rain has been intermittent. Approaching the island, our ferry broke through a wall of wispy grey cloud to reveal glistening Halfmoon Bay; a sprinkling of houses and shops, bobbing boats and a short stretch of beach all lit by golden mid-morning sun. By the time I had disembarked and walked the 200 metres to Oban's main street, the rain was pelting so hard that even those of us with raincoats sheltered in shops and beneath doorways until it passed. Minutes later, the sun burned into the tarseal road, creating a mishmash spider web of dry patches amongst the myriad new puddles. "The average rainfall in Stewart Island is 1.6 metres per year," Jo explains. "We expect rain on 260 days of the year." While the bus fills with a collective gasp at so much rain, Jo is quick to point out the benefits: As well as maintaining the island's trademark lush green native bush, most of the rainwater is collected, bottled and sold as drinking water. According to my bottle of 'Stewart Island Rain', it contains '100% rainwater' and 'is amongst the most pure and untainted in the world' - a claim backed up by multiple awards.
Trundling up a winding hill, we drive past masses of brilliantly green fern fronds that arch towards us from the roadside. The bright foliage sparkles under the weight of raindrops that have just thundered down upon it. Jo points to the whitebaiting spot reserved for the island's children - "strictly no adults allowed". Further on, she indicates one of many small sandy bays: "Occasionally in summer, you come here and there's someone else on the beach. When it's crowded like that, you can just walk to another bay, which you can have to yourself." We titter - she's joking, right? But, driving over a rise and down into sparkling Lee Bay, we realise she's not.
At Lee Bay, the glittering water and golden sand are framed by tall, swaying toi toi and pointed bouquets of deep red flax. From the beach I think I can make out the silhouette of the South Island, about 30kms north. The entrance to New Zealand's newest national park - Rakiura - Lee Bay is also home to an iconic piece of artwork: an enormous rust-coloured chain that links across the land, reaching out towards the foreshore. As far as Stewart Island yarns go, this sculpture represents one of the oldest. Maori legend has it that Maui (a demi-god) one day stowed away in his brothers' waka (canoe) as they set out fishing. Far out in the ocean, Maui announced his presence and cast his line. He caught an enormous fish and pulled it to the surface. Fearing the wrath of the gods for capturing one of their almighty beasts he went in search of forgiveness, leaving the fish in the hands of his brothers. While he was gone Maui's brothers fought over the fish, battering and bruising it, creating peaks and ravines along its flesh. Frozen in time, the fish (Te Ika a Maui) became the North Island; the waka (Te Waka a Maui) became the South Island and the all-important anchor stone of Maui's canoe (Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui) became Stewart Island.
Whilst the traditional Maori name is now more often replaced with Stewart Island (after William Stewart who charted the area in the 1800s) or Rakiura (which translates as 'glowing skies'), the Maori heritage that began here in the 13th century still plays a strong part in the island's culture. In fact, a number of Stewart Island residents are direct descendants of the Rakiura Maori settlers - an eminence that entitles them to partake in the legendary annual tītī harvest. Every April and May, the group of privileged locals (which includes the spouse and children of those in the Rakiura bloodline) head to the small, nearby Tītī Islands to hunt out and kill the young tītī - a large seabird better known as muttonbird. This local specialty is eaten or, traditionally, secured in a pōhā tītī - a specially constructed airtight container crafted from bull kelp. The kelp is opened to form an envelope and the bird placed inside. Totara tree bark is wrapped around the package before it is placed inside a flax kete (bag or basket) for storage for up to two years.
The Tītī Islands make up a fraction of the 170 small, uninhabited islands that lie off the coast of Stewart Island. Codfish and Ulva Islands are a few of the larger, better known ones, but tiny dots on the map with names like 'Black Rock', 'White Rock' and 'Weka Island' litter the eastern coast. Around 65km of densely bush-covered land lies between Lee Bay, here in Stewart Island's north, and the Tītī Islands off the south coast. At almost 2000 square kilometres Stewart Island is two and a half times the size of Singapore, yet with around 380 permanent residents (compared to Singapore's 4 million) only 4% of the island is humanly populated.
"On my OE I lived in Singapore for a while," Jo tells us. "There were more people living in my apartment block in Singapore than there were living on the whole of Stewart Island!
"I grew up here and went to school here," she continues, "I've travelled and I've lived off the island. But I'm a Stewart Islander at heart, and I always knew I'd end up back here. It's where I wanted to be."
Later, as I explore the tiny township of Oban, I gain an even greater understanding of Jo's longing to live here. I trawl the dinky shops uncovering the treasures of local designers, jewellers, sculptors, photographers and painters, and all the while residents nod and smile, chatting to me as if to a lifelong friend.
Just like their human counterparts, each shop and gallery tells a tale about the island. Set in a secretive bush location, The Fernery overflows with ceramics, paintings, books and crafts reflecting the area's deep-seated relationship with Mother Nature. Glowing Sky clothing company offers distinctly New Zealand printed clothing while Rakiura Gallery shows off the work of locally inspired artists. And at Just Cafe you can have a coffee and check your email while perusing the handmade beaded jewellery. There's a cinema that also serves pizza; a hotel that has a chequered history of prohibition; and a pearl farm that specialises in stunning jewellery using the Blue Empress Abalone Pearl.
Luckily for my bank account, the ferry is about to leave for Bluff. I scurry back to the wharf in time for a hot chocolate, overlooking the enormous skies of Halfmoon Bay. As the day pulls a grey shawl over its shoulders, the wharf becomes a hive of activity: visitors queue for their ride home; locals chat and laugh as they go about their daily routine, cleaning and restocking boats, welcoming visitors and bidding farewell to new friends.
Boarding the ferry, people behind me start chatting with a crew member. Thirty minutes in to our journey they're still ensconced in the intriguing account of his proud Stewart Island upbringing. Stewart Islanders sure can talk about their homeland, but after just one day on the island, I completely understand why.
Amelia visited Stewart Island and experienced the Village and Bays Bus Tour courtesy of Stewart Island Experience.
Amelia is Content Editor for the New Zealand travel and tourism website www.fourcorners.co.nz.
