we left stewart island this morning. it's small and boring in a way so we were glad to be gone. this time there were some bumps crossing the foveaux strait. stupidly i read my book and felt a little sick. otherwise, we had a good time laughing away each time the boat went thump from the bumps. the sensation is similar to when you ride a roller coaster. you can feel this ball, let's call it your center of gravity, rise and fall inside of you. that's the fun part. it's when it rises that you feel a tingly sensation in your feet and your mind is going crazy with anticipation. meanwhile, others were getting sick. some albatross flew by the boat but they were not as big as royal albatrosses, these ones just had a 2m wing span.

celtic-maori wall, invercargill

we took a shuttle from bluff back to invercargill. this time we're staying at tuatara backpackers. it's a pretty nice place--one of the best hostels we've stayed at so far. we walked around invercargill a little bit and went to the outdoors stores to get the last of the items we need for our hiking trips--an extra side pouch thing for me because i have had a really strong sense that i will need it, backup polypros for warmth, another pair of socks, a water bottle holder for twiddle thumbs, a hard camera case for me that seems like it will be a little extra protection against water as well as accidental drops, pack liners, and pack covers! whew! we did a little grocery shopping and a lot of reading. then off to the movies!