The island is also a Buff Weka sanctuary and the curious little fellows are very friendly and cheeky! Don't leave any of your gear lying around, it'll be gone!
We caught the Wanaka Water Taxi out, I can recommend this outfit, brilliant service and knowledgeable skippers. We headed out and had the island to ourselves, an easy 30 minute climb to the activation zone, only complicated by doing it in jandals (due to blisters from Moorhouse Range). The last bit is bush-bashed off the lookout track to get within the zone, lots of scrub and dead wilding pines but not too bad if you were to wear boots and gaiters/longs!
A very compromised antenna was rigged, the end supported by a 6m telescoping pole with the wire draped across the top of the Manuka trees.
CQ and spot (Spark/Skinny 4G) on 40m CW netted John ZL1BYZ S2S, Andre ZL1TM and Wynne ZL2ATH S2S. By this point it was pouring with rain and I only had 30 minutes to get back down to catch the boat! Peter VK3PF/P S2S responded to a 20m CQ and I was done. Packed up, picked up Fancie from the lake and headed down to the boat. As I type this, a few hours later, we have torrential rain and a severe weather warning - our timing was perfect!
I recommend this summit if you want something different, it's not cheap (normally $125 pp but $95 at the moment) but it is XYL-friendly and that counts for a lot when on holiday! If they have sufficient bookings for 10am and 2pm trips, you can go out on the early boat and come back on the second, this would allow a more relaxed activation and time for a swim. Note that the discounted price doesn't apply for this option.
