Great Barrier Island: Nostalgia and isolated bliss

There are no ATMs and residents use either generator or solar power - no wonder Great Barrier Island has such a relaxed vibe. Photo / Thinkstock

Roger Hall steps back in time on Great Barrier Island - a place where strangers still stop and offer you a lift.

We'd been meaning to go to Great Barrier Island for years but never got around to it. So four days in January that included one birthday and a wedding anniversary seemed the ideal time.

We flew from Dairy Flat, North Shore, at 7.45am and landed at Claris 20 minutes later to collect our rental car.

We drove to the much recommended Wild Rose Cafe at Tryphena for breakfast. This was more than an eating place, it was the meeting place for locals, driving up for their coffee and chat. The sort of setting that could be used for a TV series set, say, some decades ago, as the island has a nice feel of New Zealand the way it was. No ATMs, everyone is friendly, laid-back, and if you're walking will stop to offer you a ride.

We liked the Wild Rose so much, we went back for lunch. Ordered a burger. Ah no, couldn't have it. The meat order hadn't arrived. And this encapsulated the problems of living on an island.

Everything has to be brought in. Groceries cost $10 per carton to be flown over, plus a delivery charge to Dairy Flat. Milkshakes are $6; petrol $2.80 a litre. Electricity is from generators, with more and more people using solar power for the daylight hours.

Yes, we should have gone years ago. Many of the island's attractions are for those with a bit more energy than we have these days. Kayaking and surfing (Medlands Beach is a must) and fishing trips (but I'm not a fisherman.) Above all, there are many walking tracks. Normally we could have done most of these, but Di's knee had been bothering her of late, so we were restricted.

We did do the Windy Canyon Lookout, a 15-minute walk (more of a climb up steps), well worth it for the views, and the chilling steep drops on either side. The walk to the hot springs took 40 minutes along a track so smooth that three families with prams were managing it, and at the end was the reward of immersing oneself into a pool as one does into a bath that is a fraction too hot.

The highlight for us was Glenfern Sanctuary at Port Fitzroy, founded by the late Tony Bouzaid when he realised that there was hardly any birdsong on this huge island. He set about building a sanctuary on a peninsula with the sea around it on three sides and a predator-proof fence on the fourth. Then he planted thousands of trees.

Bouzaid died in 2011, but his work continues. We booked for a guided tour which began with coffee and then an excellent presentation about the history of the place, plus the appearance of a tame, but feisty, banded rail that pecked his stuffed and mounted cousin.

Then, a two-and-a-half-hour walk. Great views, a dam with a couple of endangered brown teal, and forests, with guide Emma identifying all the native trees. Then across a swing bridge which led to the top of a kauri. A great morning. You can stay at the sanctuary for a very reasonable price. Next time, we'd go there.

Came time to depart on the Sunday afternoon, low cloud had delayed flights, and wind conditions meant the ferry was cancelled - and our return flight. I didn't sob uncontrollably but it was pretty close. In the end we got two seats into Auckland. Lucky. Not so lucky was the fact that our car was still at Dairy Flat.

But there you are; that's islands for you.