Otamahua/Quail Island: Lyttleton Harbor: May 2022

 ...my third visit to Otamahua/Quail Island in 2022...

In early May Karen and I went for a day trip over to Otamahua/Quail Island in Lyttleton Harbor. We went mid week so there were only six people on the island...ourselves, another couple and two singles. I love Quail Island it has a nice walking track around the island and a quirky DOC hut and some stunning views of Lyttleton Harbor, Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills 

The Sealord Fishing fleet was in Lyttleton

This was my third visit to the island since January 2022...I visited just after New Years and again in mid February. On this trip we walked up to have a look at the historic dog quarantine runs and the old Lighthouse Keepers House that is due to be converted into a single user bookable hut sometime this year. 

The day shelter on Otamahua/Quail Island

We had some great early winter weather as it was calm, sunny and about 20 degrees for most of the day. It was cold on the eastern side of the island and once the sun started to drop over the Port Hills around 3 pm it got chilly. 

A mid week visit to Otamahua:

We were visiting mid week as Karen had decided to walk the island on one of her days off so I took the day off work to accompany her. There is no direct ferry service to the island mid week...instead the Diamond Harbor Ferry drops you off enroute to its usual points of call. They only visit the island at 10am and 3 pm over the winter months. 

Coming ashore onto Otamahua/Quail Island

The intricate breakwater near the Quail Island wharf

I let Karen run this trip and she wanted to walk around the island anti clock wise so that is what we did. This is actually the best way to follow the track as the terrain flows better that way. The Quail Island Track is circular so really either way is fine...

There is a DOC map near the wharf, Otamahua/Quail Island

Climbing up to Otamahua/Quail Island Hut

There is a stand of really big Macrocarpa Trees down at the eastern end of the island...some of the bigger ones have trunks 2-3 meters around and 20-30 meters tall. There was the first of a new series of Junior Ranger posters near here...the kids can come to the island and follow a exploratory path ticking off the posters as they go. 

Macrocarpa Trees on the east side of Otamahua/Quail Island

Some new Junior Ranger boards on Otamahua/Quail Island

There is a red shed here that once housed the horses Captain Scott and Shackleton took down to Antarctica. They had to quarantine in New Zealand for a couple of months before heading South. i believe they used some kind of hardy ponies for this work. 

 One of the reasons the early English Antarctic explorers had problems was their reliance on horses...they were not ideal in Polar regions. They didn't really have experience with Huskies so they were more or less an afterthought. The Norwegians were used to dog sleds so had more success with them. 

Old horse quarantine shed, Otamahua/Quail Island

Old farming implements in the shed...Otamahua/Quail Island

Detritus of 150 years of farming...Otamahua/Quail Island

From the shed you continue on the Quail Island Track to Otamahua Hut about 500 meters away. Otamahua Hut is an old converted farm building that became a DOC hut in 2018 after a through conversion. I would love to stay here some time as it looks awesome but it is booked solid most weekends. A mid week trip might be on the cards...!!!

Otamahua/Quail Island Hut basking in the sun

DOC did an awesome job converting the hut and it has a quirky charm with some individual features that make it stand out.  There is a lovely veranda and deck to the front, filigree around the gutters and Manuka branch bench supports that I like a lot. Whatever else you do on Quail Island make sure that you visit the hut. 

Interior of Otamahua/Quail Island Hut...kitchen

One of the bunkrooms in Otamahua/Quail Island Hut

Otamahua/Quail Island hut has been open four years

Interior of Otamahua/Quail Island Hut...seating

There is a fantastic view of Lyttleton from the veranda and Karen and I both thought it would be cool sitting there and gazing at the distant lights at night. 

The view from the Otamahua/Quail Island Hut veranda

From the hut the Quail Island Track continues around the exterior of the island and takes about 2.5 hours to walk right around. The track is mostly grass mown short so boots are not really needed here. There are information panels right along the track and seats at a number of  vantage points. 

Starting along the Otamahua/Quail Island Track

On the northern side of the island you can see right along the Port Hills from the heads at Godley and Adderley right down to Governors Bay. You can clearly see Lyttleton and the other bays like Corsair, Cass and Rapaki Bay. 

Lyttleton from the Otamahua/Quail Island Track

Port Hills above Corsair and Cass Bay...note Sugarloaf antenna

Stay on the tracks when walking around the island as there are some big bluffs and cliffs especially along the north side of the island. If you see a danger sign please heed the warning...and keep a good hold of the little ones if you bring them. Some of those falls would not be survivable...

Above the big bluffs on Otamahua/Quail Island

The Otamahua/Quail Island Trust are actively replanting a good percentage of the island in the type of lowland coastal forest it once held. When Europeans arrived in Canterbury they took the timber out of the forest and then burned the rest to clear if for farming. One day there will be a magnificent forest here with Kahikatea, Totara, Matai and Manuka.

DOC panel on Otamahua/Quail Island

The planting in the photo below is about 15 years old so it shows you how fast the whole island will change as the trees really start to grow and spread naturally. Some of the natives are now 3-4 meters tall and the Podocarp trees they planted will eventually be 30-40 meters tall over most of the islands interior. 

This planting is about 15 years old...Otamahua/Quail Island

California Quail on one of the tracks, Otamahua/Quail Island

Karen and I headed inland to the high point of the island along one of the many side tracks to that point. The sign posting could be better but they give you a map of the island when you board the ferry and as they say all roads lead to Rome (...or at least the center of the island...).

Climbing to the high point on Otamahua/Quail Island

The high point on Otamahua is Pt. 86 which might not seem high but it does give you unobstructed views right across the island. There are five paths leading to the high point scattered along the main track so you can head up there from multiple points around the island. 

The Maori totem comes into view...Otamahua/Quail Island

Otamahua/Quail Island...Maori totem at high point of island

There is a carved pole at the center of the island and the information panels up there say it is meant to show the prow of a waka or Maori canoe with a Tuna or Eel climbing up it. Otamahua was a valuable food source in Pre-European times with Eels, fish, shellfish, birds and forest products that were used by the local Iwi. 

High point of Otamahua/Quail Island (86 meters asl)

The following photos show you the views in all four directions from the top of Pt. 86...

View south from Pt.86, Otamahua/Quail Island 

View east from Pt. 86...Otamahua/Quail Island 

View west from Pt. 86...Otamahua/Quail Island

View north from Pt.86...Otamahua/Quail Island

The location could really do with a seat at the top but it is a custom in Maori culture to not stand atop any high point as it is considered that hills/mountains are the heads of ancestors which should not be dishonored. Many Maori will stop just short of a summit on the shoulders as it were...

Jon at the high point of Otamahua/Quail Island

We headed back down the way we came and saw some California Quail running across the track in front of us. When Europeans arrived the island had a resident population of native Quail but these soon became extinct. California Quail were introduced back in the early 2000's and there is now a healthy population. 

Heading back down to the Otamahua/Quail Island Track

We continued on the Quail Island Track around the northern end of the island to the Ward Homestead. The three Ward brothers settled here in the early 1850's and started farming the island as its first European residents. Tragically they two died in a boating accident when a storm overturned their boat enroute to Lyttleton. All that remains today is a rusted remnant of an old Shacklock oven and the foundation stones of their house. 

Passing the Ward Homestead site, Otamahua/Quail Island 

Past the Ward Homestead site you have fantastic views right up Lyttleton to the heads at its mouth. Lyttleton was once a massive island volcano and the gap between Godley Head and Adderley Head is where the sea breached the caldera. Quail Island is actually a lava plug over the old main vent of the volcano and at its highest point the sides of Lyttleton Volcano were 1500-2000 meters...

View to the heads of Lyttleton Harbor...from Otamahua/Quail Island

The sea front bluffs...Otamahua/Quail Island

There are a couple of seats with grandstand views down Lyttleton Harbor and it is worth stopping here and taking in that magnificent view...

It was calm the day we visited Otamahua/Quail Island

You continue around the island heading in the direction of Shipwreck Beach on the islands western side. On the way you pass through another area of older planting (...around 10 years old now...) and past the old stock water dam. 

Due to its nature the island is always dry so in times past one of the families farming here plugged the end of a handy gully to form a stock water catchment. It is the only permanent water source on the island with no streams, creeks or other lakes...

View into the center of Otamahua/Quail Island

The stock water dam on Otamahua/Quail Island

Looking towards Gebbies Pass from Otamahua/Quail Island

Shipwreck Beach (...not the official name...there is none...) is on the south-west side of the island and holds the hulks of around a dozen old vessels. They were beached here at the end of their lives and scrapped or left to disintegrate. You can walk down to the wrecks but please do not stand on them or remove items from them as they are a protected Taonga site...

Shipwreck Bay on Otamahua/Quail Island

Hulk of the SS Darra at Otamahua/Quail Island

There are many submerged hulks at Otamahua/Quail Island

Continuing on from Shipwreck Beach you have great views to the south in the direction of Gebbies Peninsula and Gebbies Pass. The Gebbies were early settlers and together with the Manson and Price families owned much of the land on this side of Banks Peninsula. 

Head of the Bays from the Otamahua/Quail Island Track

There are several old quarries on the island and you pass by one above Walkers Beach. There is a information panel here and a pile of debris and old processed rock slabs near the entrance. The rock was used on the island and also in Lyttelton itself for walls and buildings. 

At the quarry on Otamahua/Quail Island

The rock was used on Quail Island and Lyttleton

On the south side of the island you pass a cross and information panel for Ivor Skelton a leper who died on the island in the mid 1920's. There were a number of leprosy sufferers on the island but he was the only one who actually passed here. They were all moved to Samoa in 1925... 

Information panel at Ivor Skelton's grave

Our destination was the picnic area at Swimmers Beach where we would stop for lunch. It is on the south eastern side of the island and on the way there you pass by some old buildings and a replica of the cottage the lepers lived in above Skiers Beach. 

Skiers and Swimmers Beach, Otamahua/Quail Island

The replica Lepers Hut...Otamahua/Quail Island Track

Skiers Beach on Otamahua/Quail Island

There were more of the Junior Ranger boards on this side of the island both at Skiers and Swimmers Beaches...

Another of the Junior Ranger panels...Otamahua/Quail Island 

We eventually arrived at Swimmers Beach where there is a very lovely sand beach backed by a flat picnic area. Over the summer it is possible to camp here and when I was here in February the beach had between 80-100 people on it. You can swim in the shallow waters off the beach as it is waist deep for about 200 meters off the shoreline...

Swimmers Beach, Otamahua/Quail Island

There is a nice sandy beach at Swimmers Bay

The Otamahua/Quail Island Track continues....

Karen and I were eating some self heating OMeals for lunch that day. They have a retort pouch of food, a flameless ration heater and a cutlery pack in them so are a complete meal option. You add water to the pad and it heats the food through thermo-chemical action. Very tasty and available at Hunting and Fishing stores in a variety of flavors...

We had OMeals for lunch....Otamahua/Quail Island

OMeals: Spaghetti Bolognaise and Hashbrown Potato's

We sat at the beach for about 30 minutes eating and drinking hot drinks..it was quiet except for some dingbats who kept roaring into the bay on a jet ski. They only other person there was a sea kayaker who landed and then set off walking around the island. 

Sea kayak on Swimmers Beach, Otamahua/Quail Island

After lunch we headed inland up the track to the old dog kennels. Quail Island was used as a quarantine station for four early polar expeditions and both Scott and Shackleton used sledge dogs down in Antarctica.

The track to the historic dog kennels...Otamahua/Quail Island

It is a steep climb to the kennels...Otamahua/Quail Island

The original kennels were demolished back in the 1930's but the foundations and a replica have been preserved by the Department of Conservation so you can see what they looked like. The English explorers were not great dog handlers so horses were always more important to their expeditions than the dogs were.

Information panel at dog kennels...Otamahua/Quail Island

Replica kennel at Otamahua/Quail Island

Limited space for Antarctic dogs...Otamahua/Quail Island

From the dog kennels we walked up and past the back of Otamahua Hut and sat at the hut for about 40 minutes in the sun. They hut site is bathed in sunshine till late in the day and it was still warm there even at 2 pm as the sun was starting to wane. 

Rear view of Otamahua Hut, Quail Island

The only axe at Otamahua Hut...inadequate!!!

The ferry was arriving at 3.15 so about 2.45 we started to make our way back down to the wharf. On the way we had a look at the old Lightkeepers House which has been used as a DOC Rangers accommodation. It is due to be converted into a single user bookable hut as there is now Rangers accommodation attached to the rear of Otamahua Hut. 

The Historic Lighthouse Keepers House, Otamahua/Quail Island

Flat camping area near the Lighthouse Keepers House

You head back down the Quail Island Track to the wharf along the same track you climb to get to the hut. It was lovely and sun dappled in the late afternoon...

Otamahua/Quail Island Track...heading for the wharf

Volcanic dike or lava rib along the Quail Island Track

Otamahua/Quail Island wharf in the late afternoon

As the ferry was due shortly we opted to sit down by the wharf instead of in the day shelter. It is a bit cold on this side of the island in the afternoon as it is shady and the wind had started to pick up. Make sure you have some warm clothing when you visit Otamahua especially outside of summer. The wind blowing up Lyttelton Harbor can be freezing at times. 

Diamond Harbor in the distance from Otamahua/Quail Island wharf

The Otamahua/Quail Island day shelter

Mt Herbert rises behind the wharf on Otamahua/Quail Island

It was good to see the ferry arriving from Diamond Harbor to collect us just past 3 pm. It was starting to get cold on the sunless side of the island. Don't miss that boat people...they will not wait for you and they will not come back for you. If you miss it you are there until the next morning.

Blackcat Ferry arrives at Otamahua/Quail Island

Farewell Otamahua/Quail Island...until next time!!!

As always a magnificent day was had on Quail Island...I can really recommend a visit mid week as it was so quiet on the island. We felt like we had the island to ourselves as we only saw other people about once every hour or so. Take some lunch, plenty of water and some warm clothing with you. 

Access: Ferry service from Lyttleton, the trip takes 15 minutes ($15 child, $30 adult), Black Cat Cruises are the operator, tickets are available online and bookings are recommended. 

Track Times:  5.5 km's or 2-3  hours from jetty to jetty

Hut Details: Otamahua/Quail Island Hut: 12 bunks, wood burner, water tank, wood shed, toilets

Miscellaneous: The hut is on the DOC booking system, must be booked for overnight visit. Drinking water is available from the hut, take only what you need as it is in short supply. The Old Lighthouse Keepers House is due to become a new single user hut. 

You Tube Link: