The cottage where we are currently staying is steps away from the Omaui Scenic Reserve that is preserving native New Zealand plants and birds. One of the birds is the Tui. It is a member of the honeyeater family, and the name is well deserved. They love bird feeders with sugar water. We know this because there is a feeder on our patio and we have enjoyed listening to the Tui (they are very vocal) and watching them use the feeder. It isn’t hard to see where the term “pecking order” originated.

And here is a picture of the Tui feeding. The tube has a ball bearing that blocks the flow, and the Tui push it in and drink the sugar water.

The reserve has a walking path that leads to a lookout where you can see Stewart Island, just off the coast of the South Island. Jan decided to use the “cottage day” to read a book that was in the cottage. It isn’t clear if she will finish before we have to leave, but she is trying her best. I decided to take the hike through the reserve because … it was there. The path started gently enough.

I’ve been wanting to see the Manuka trees for the last couple of days, and suddenly I was seeing hundreds of them.

And then even more – the path was lined with Manuka trees on both sides.

I’m not sure if this next picture works, but I loved the play of shadow and light on the bare trunks of the Manuka trees. Very calming, so I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

As the path continued upward, the vegetation became more and more lush. Lots of colours and textures.

The path started very wide, but as I walked, it began to narrow…

I had to duck under fallen trees…

Until the path looked like this. Yes, this is the path, straight ahead.

At this point, if I’d been in Canada I would have been concerned about ticks. If I’d been in Australia, I’d have been concerned for my life. But in New Zealand, I pressed on and was treated to a view of Stewart Island.

Then it was back to the cottage to prepare for dinner and then a nice long barefoot walk along the beach. The beach was fabulous, but the seaweed was rather drab today. So you are in luck … no more seaweed pictures.

And after the walk, refreshments on the deck. This picture is for our regular Wednesday pub crew at home (it’s Wednesday here). Wishing you were here … and very glad we aren’t there.

I mentioned the Tui feeders at the beginning of this post. While barbecuing dinner (and writing this post), we got to watch them some more.

Here is a picture that gives you a view of the complete feeder.

Turns out that the owner is a wood carver and he carved this. There are a few more of his carvings around the cottage. He is very talented. Here are some of the carvings.

In the comments, Wendy suggested we should check out Slope Point – the southernmost point on New Zealand’s South Island. We were hesitating because of the distance, and then realized it was more or less on our path to Dunedin tomorrow, so we’ve added that to our itnierary. Thanks for the suggestion Wendy.