Port William – Rakiura

These photographs were all taken at or in the vicinity of Port William on the three-day Rakiura walk on Stewart Island, during a trip described here.

Little River is tidal in its lower reaches, the bridge being essential when the tide is in.

This pair of variable oyster catchers were sheltering from the cold wind behind some driftwood. Remarkably confiding, if approached quietly, they posed here while each keeping a wary eye on my movements.

This pair of paradise shelducks were feeding along the shore, but stopped here to drink from a small stream flowing across the sand

Driftwood at Port William – an old stump (note the cut end), probably of rata, washed out to sea in a flood and cast back up on the shore

Where small streams flow out of the forest and cross the sandy shore, they create complex patterns, always being rearranged by the tide.

Here a small stream emerges from the forest to flow through a jumble of large boulders before running across the sand to the sea

In places, low cliffs lie at the head of the beach, some with massive rock slabs as shown here.

Elsewhere the forest literally grows down to the edge of the beach – here the roots of kamahi and rata are interwoven just above the high tide mark

At the southern end of the beach sand is replaced by rounded boulders – created by repeated rolling by waves during stormy weather

Looking north along the beach at Port William

Unlogged native forest on Stewart Island, Rakiura, dominated by rimu, kamahi and southern rata; the open understorey reflects the damaging impacts of deer.

One of two historic log haulers at Port William, abandoned in the early part of last century