My Paterson Inlet Cruise mates and I have just arrived here at Ulva Island - an open sanctuary at the bottom of New Zealand. The 10 minute boat ride from Stewart Island was lengthened into a picturesque touring route of Paterson Inlet. With scatterings of titi and albatross bobbing and diving alongside, our boat idled past historic buildings and sites of interest on shore.
"This is Harrold Bay," says our guide, Eraana, as we pass a tiny inlet where a lone stone cottage nestles into the grassy hill. "In 1834, a settler by the name of Lewis Acker built this cottage with stone he transported from Invercargill. He raised nine kids in that one bedroom home!"Eraana speaks with a passion which she later tells us is borne from an intrinsic connection to this idyllic region of New Zealand. Her ancestors have lived in and around Rakiura (the Maori name for Stewart Island which translates as 'glowing skies') since the 13th century.
"Stewart Island is called 'old New Zealand' by many people," explains Eraana as she guides us along one of several worn walking paths on Ulva Island. "That's because Stewart Island, and Ulva Island, are like New Zealand used to be before man arrived."
She doesn't need to elaborate. We walk past a 900 year old rimu tree and, at our feet, tiny tmesipteris plants - a species that dates back 400 million years - as well as the 100 million year old lanternberry.
In contrast to these prehistoric plants is a stand of tiny new seedlings near the path. Growing from seeds dropped to the forest floor these fledgling plants show the progression of regeneration since the eradication of rats from Ulva Island in 1997.
As we wander on Eraana indicates plants, one by one, explaining what her ancestors used them for and how each has evolved. She identifies every bird call in an instant and regales us with stories of unsuspecting humans who had their lunch pinched by cheeky weka!
The peace and stillness of Ulva Island give no indication of the social hub that it once was. The historic Traills' Post Office, built in 1872 by Ulva's first Pakeha residents, still stands on the island. Now a holiday home for the Traill family descendants, the Post Office was once the delivery point for all mail from the mainland. On its arrival the Traill family would raise the mail flag. People from the surrounding islands would don their best attire and row to Ulva to collect their mail - one of the most social outings on the local calendar.Whilst Charles Traill, the original postmaster, was respectful of the island and its native flora and fauna, he did make the mistake of importing a number of foreign seeds. Planted in the late 1800s, many of his imported trees, like the monkey puzzle, still stand today - distinctly foreign in the crowds of native plants.
But the occasional exotic tree and visiting tourist seem to have little impact on the island's best-known residents: the birds. Thanks largely to the Department of Conservation, Ulva Island is one of a few predator-free native bird sanctuaries in New Zealand and home to an increasing number of birds - including kiwi, bellbirds, tui and the Stewart Island robin - some of which have been threatened by extinction.
The saddleback, for instance, was once widespread throughout New Zealand but rats, cats and stoats caused a decline so extreme that saddlebacks were at one point considered extinct. During the 1960s a number of birds were transferred to various 'safe' islands around New Zealand. In the year 2000, 30 South Island saddlebacks were transferred to Ulva Island where they are now beginning to slowly flourish.
A rustling to the side of the path alerts us to something moving in the ferns. Leaves and sticks are thrown up from the ground and we glimpse a large, brown feathered body haphazardly stalking through the undergrowth. It's a weka, seeking out food, flicking up dirt and leaf matter with its beak in the process. Unworried by us, it continues its journey, joining us on the path and walking to within touching distance. Being reared on an island without predators, explains Eraana, means almost all the birds in this sanctuary are particularly bold.Her point is reiterated perfectly soon after. As our eyes follow the distinctive sound of a bellbird, we watch it come to rest just centimetres above our heads on an exposed branch. It totters along the bough, taking in its surroundings with small, darting turns of the head. It watches us as we watch it - an intense moment of intrigue in which neither is quite sure of the other.
Suddenly, Eraana's walkie-talkie crackles to life, startling the bird and informing her that our boat is waiting. As we scurry down the path Eraana laments the fact we haven't seen a saddleback. But then I see it - hopping from branch to branch in the low undergrowth, oblivious to us, the saddleback is instantly recognisable by its rusty brown 'saddle' markings. As inquisitive as the bellbird he spots us, sits still and surveys us, waiting for our next move. There's time for a few quick photos, then he's gone. And so are we, leaving the island, its plants and birds in solitude once more.Amelia visited Ulva Island and experienced the Paterson Inlet Cruise courtesy of Stewart Island Experience.
Amelia is Content Editor of the New Zealand travel and tourism website, www.fourcorners.co.nz.
