A Busy Island
With Kiwi's limited to home for their holidays many are choosing to see the parts of the country that they have always thought about but never quite got around seeing; until now that is.
On Stewart Island things are business as normal, or should I say, things are busier than ever.
It is great to see and meet so many Kiwi travellers who are making their first trip to the island. Best of all is the fact that they are really enjoying their time here and discovering just how special having a place like Stewart Island is. It is important to remember that the island is a National Park and a place for us all to share and enjoy.
As a business owner in the tourism sector it would be easy to "worry" about the future but really there isn't a great need to panic. We are a small market island and kiwi's have easily replaced the foreign visitors that we would normally be seeing at this time of the season.
The world looks like being closed for at least another year as Covid is addressed. It is good that we are safe and it is a small price to pay not being able to leave our shores if that keeps us from locking down again. As with all things of course, not everyone will experience things in the same way. There are tour destinations feeling the pinch but we can only hope that they can whether the current storm and prepare for the future. The future will get here fast enough and before long we will look back at these times and talk about how it was and how lucky we are to still be here.
There are many positives to our current situation and as we draw near the first anniversary of the first lockdown I think it is a great time to reflect on how bad things aren't. There was a lot of doom and gloom at the start and predictions of a total meltdown have not eventuated so we need to build on that and be positive.
The Island feels like it is in a good space and we are all able to enjoy what it offers. We have the time to plan for the future and plenty to look forward too.