Stranded

Thursday November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving! The closest we are going to get turkey here is one of the native Kaka birds. We won't be eating any of these birds. First they are protected, secondly who would want to eat anything called Kaka. We awoke to rain & heavy winds. Apparently normal weather for the island. We waited until noon & ate our left overs from last night. Outside several native birds showed up to eat the peanuts we left out on the picnic benches. We took some pics & a Kaka showed up. Tracy went outside & it took peanuts from her hand.

We went to catch the 3:30PM ferry, if it was going. Tracy took a sea legs pill for sea sickness just in case we were able to leave. We hauled our bags down to the wharf in the rain & wind. The average was 51 w/gusts up to 65. They finally canceled so we will be sampling more fine food from the South Sea Hotel & Pub. Perhaps Tracy can have a spirited conversation w/ the locals at the Pub. The boys came back to the lodge for the evening after fighting the wind & rain. Early this morning the Muffin decided he liked the island & he went off to work w/ them. They outfitted him w/ some muddy boots & some Plastic wrap to keep him from getting soggy.

Of course he came back all crusted over w/ mud. He said it wasn't anything a good cup of tea couldn't wash away. On the way back to the lodge he stopped off at the Pub & picked up two friendly bottles of wine to snuggle w/ for the evening. In the mean time the Sea Legs medicine kicked in & Tracy caught some extra winks on the couch. The boys ate their dinner & we broke out the wine the Muffin had picked up. Lively conversation ensued including more stories from Tracy & the Muffin. After a few drinks the Muffin announced that he & the T-Shirt had formed an international conglomerate including a major construction company on Stewart Island. Wayne & Dan have been placed in charge of the redesigned hotel which is going to be 30 stories & it is rumored Donald Trump is interested in adding a casino. We went to the South Sea Hotel for dinner & had some more Bluff oysters-natural & beer battered, blue cod & chips & a large salad. We washed down this feast w/ a glass of '10 Mt. Rosa Dry Riesling & '09 Virginie Taunt Sauvignon Blanc. We then retired to the Pub where we posted another NZ travel log episode. The Muffin was playing pool, flirting w/ the young ladies & winning drinking contests against the locals. We closed down the Pub & retired back to the lodge to listen to the wind & rain. The winds are supposed to be strong all over the country tomorrow so we may be stranded here another day. Unfortunately we have a room booked in Dunedin tomorrow evening & they aren't running any tours on Stewart Island because of the weather.

Stewart Island Public Telephone Booth