At the wharf at Oban, there was a quick check of our luggage by ace rat-detecting dog, Detector Gadget before we boarded the Department of Conservation vessel taking us to Ulva Island, a predator-free sanctuary for endangered flora and fauna.
On the island, we heard kakariki, and saw kieke, weka, and Stewart Island robins. A juvenile sea-lion watched us eat our lunch, and on the trip back to Oban flocks of titi flew overhead.
DoC staff then drove us to the beginning of the Rakiura track, before returning to the Rakiura Museum, the perfect place to learn about Rakiura's fascinating history from local people whose complex whakapapa reflects the intermingling of nationalities in the island's history.