Pilot Raymond Hector banks his nine-passenger Britten-Norman Islander wide over the Southern Ocean heading for a beach landing at Mason Bay on Stewart Island, a 20-minute flight from New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill, and a cornerstone of the Southland tourism district.
Minutes later, skimming only 50 feet above the sand, travelling at 120 miles (193 kilometres) per hour, with a rocky outcrop on the left and sea surf pounding on the right, the aircraft appears to be running out of room for a landing. Suddenly Hector pulls up a sharp left, cascades over a coastal range, and does another circuit of the beach before making a spectacular sandy touchdown a few minutes later.
Adrenalin
It's just after 7am but the passengers have had their first adrenalin rush of the day, and perhaps one of the best of their lifetime.
"All part of the experience, just a gentle pull-up," says the former Air New Zealand pilot, smiling and realising that it's somewhat of an understatement. "We do a beach inspection, just to see what shape the sand is in. We can tell by the colour whether it's soft or hard, and most people get a bit of a kick out of it."
The same could be said for the entire experience on the Jurassic Park-like island, which also features a combination of fossilised and lush rainforests and clear, pristine bays. In 2002, 85 per cent of the island was designated as Rakiura National Park, named for an indigenous Maori word meaning "Land of the Glowing Skies".
Isle of thrills
Stewart Island is just 67 square miles (173 square kilometres) in size, about the same geographically as Singapore. But Singapore has a population of five million. Stewart Island has only 300-400 year-round residents, most around the township of Oban. The number swells to more than 3,000 in the southern hemisphere summer.
The island is home to the highest per capita number of millionaires in New Zealand, most of whom remain low-key and mix with the locals as if they had no money in their pockets. One, in retirement, started up an island spring-water business which is thriving on the mainland. Its profits support local environmental projects such as Ulva Island, an eight-minute water-taxi ride from the main island. Ulva has been predator-free since 1997, allowing for native birds such as brown kiwi and fernbirds to flourish.
Back on the nearby mainland, the southern coastline offers great hiking, or tramping, as it is often called in New Zealand. For the serious enthusiasts, the Tuatapere Hump Ridge track offers a three-day walk from beach to mountaintop. Invercargill, a city of 50,000, also known as "The Friendly City", offers heritage buildings, museums and the Queen's Park botanical gardens.
Untouched
Hector flies several times a day between Invercargill and Stewart Island, and as he swoops over the island's interior, he points out areas that look positively untouched.
"I've been down here for many years, and nobody has ever set foot in some of these remote areas," Hector said. "This area is positively Jurassic. You get the sun in the right place and if a dinosaur was to poke his head out, it wouldn't surprise me."
Fly Emirates from Dubai for Dh7,700. Or try Singapore Airlines. From Dubai (via Singapore) for Dh6,600. Christchurch is the nearest airport.
— Information courtesy the Holiday Lounge by Dnata. Ph: 04 3492886
