Stewart Island

Stewart Island is the third largest island of New Zealand after the South Island and the North Island, known for its wild kiwi birds, cute small-island town, backcountry recreation, and Ulva Island rare bird sanctuary. It lies 30 km to the south of the South Island, separated from it by Foveaux Strait. With an area of 1,746 km² (674 mi²), it is far smaller than the two main islands, but is nearly twice the size of the next largest island, Chatham Island with 920 km² (355 mi²), and far bigger than all the other small islands of the temperate New Zealand archipelago.

Its original Maori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui, positions Stewart Island firmly at the heart of Maori mythology. Translated as "The Anchor Stone of Maui's Canoe", this refers to the part played by this island in the legend of Maui and his crew who, from their canoe (the South Island), caught and raised the great fish, the North Island. However, the more commonly used name is Rakiura. Translated as "The great and deep blushing of Te Rakitamau", an early Maori chief, it is seen today as the glowing sunrises, sunsets and the aurora australis or Southern Lights.

Most of the remote backcountry of Stewart Island (but not the populated or road-accessible areas) makes up Rakiura National Park.

Understand
Most of the island is covered in native forest and virtually the entire population of about 400 is concentrated in the township of Oban (also known as Halfmoon Bay) on the east coast. Commercial fishing and tourism are the two main occupations for residents. The main attractions for visitors are hiking (called tramping in New Zealand), birdwatching, fishing and deer hunting.

Although Stewart Island looks small on a map next to the South Island, it is large: 64 km long, 40 km across (at its widest point), with a 700-km coastline. But there are only 20 km of roads. You can't walk round the island in a day – even ten days tramping only skirts the northern third. Few people have seen anywhere near the whole of the island.

There is much to see, even close to the only settlement of Oban. Come for a daytrip or stay longer, as there is a good range of accommodation. Some visitors from 20 years ago are still living here.

The terrain is rugged. Stewart Island is made of granite, some of the oldest rock in New Zealand. A wide range of minerals are present, though not in commercial quantities. Tin was mined at Port Pegasus for a few years in the 1890s. There's black iron sand on some beaches, others are white with quartz or red with garnet. Most beaches are gold, sparkling in the sun. Don't bother bringing a gold pan though: it's all "fool's gold"!

Paterson Inlet cuts the Island almost in half. This large expanse of water is popular for boat trips and recreational fishing and diving.

The climate is mild, and a bit damp, but without rain, there wouldn't be a rainforest. The eastern lowlands are forest right to the water's edge. A canopy of kamahi is pierced by majestic rimu and miro. Lianes and lush fern growth adorn the bush interior.

The forest is a haven for bird-life, as there are fewer predators than on the mainland. Kaka, parakeets, tui, and bellbird give a wonderful dawn chorus in spring. New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi, is found all around the island. Seabirds abound offshore. Albatross, petrels, cormorants, gulls and blue penguins are common. Rarer species like yellow-eye penguins are also seen often.

Mason Bay, on the island's west coast is much different. It's a 20-km crescent of sandy beach, with huge sand-hills and tussock and scrub in place of forest. This is the place to watch the white-horses charge ashore in a screaming westerly gale.



Get in
Getting there requires crossing Foveaux Strait by boat or plane from Southland on the mainland.

By boat
Stewart Island Experience runs a scheduled passenger ferry service from Bluff, near Invercargill, to Oban/Half Moon Bay, with 2-4 departures during the day (dependent on time of year). The crossing is 22 nautical miles or 39 km and takes one hour. Adult $99 each way, children half-price. Long-stay parking is available at the Bluff terminal. From Invercargill, there's a shuttle that will pick you up from the airport or hotel and bring you to the ferry terminal for an extra $30 each way.

Occasionally other boats, usually charter vessels, make the crossing.

By plane
makes three 20-minute flights a day from Invercargill Airport. $135 one-way, $230 return (amazingly, this is cheaper than a round trip with the ferry and connection shuttles, though it doesn't include pickup at hotels in Invercargill). The same company also operates charter flights to remote areas of Stewart Island.

Get around

 * Walk, mostly. All of the 20 kilometres of roads are around Oban/Halfmoon Bay, and the rest of the island is a hiker's wilderness paradise.
 * Bus tour
 * Shuttles, taxi, rental cars, mountain bikes and scooters
 * Ulva Island Ferry between Golden Bay and Ulva Island
 * Water taxi or charter a fishing or tour boat
 * Helicopter

See
The museum and Department of Conservation (DoC) in Oban both have excellent displays and are open most days.

Stewart Island is one of the best places to view the aurora australis or Southern Lights, unless you fancy an expensive and uncomfortable sojourn in one of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. It's not ideally located for this and travellers should not expect a display every night, but the magnetic pole's offset helps, and it's a lot cheaper than taking a boat into Antarctic waters.



Kiwi spotting
Stewart Island is one of the only places in New Zealand where you have a good chance of spotting a fully wild kiwi bird, but they're still not exactly easy to find. They come out only after dark, and are most often spotted at the edges of open areas such as roads or lawns (listening for their calls can help). If you plan to go looking on your own, bring a red light or buy the "Kiwi-spotting kitset" (piece of red cellophane and rubber band) from the Four Square market ($0.50); shining a normal white flashlight at a kiwi may disturb it.

You have a decent chance of finding one if you spend a few hours driving the back roads at night, or a few nights poking around on foot on the hiking trails and town rugby field. But your odds are much better if you go with one of the several tour operators (from $100 per person), which can take you their special spots (some go to the town's airstrip, which isn't open to the public).

You will sometimes see Ulva Island sanctuary (see below) advertised as "the only place to see wild kiwis in the daytime", but this is very rare. Even experienced birdwatchers don't usually see any kiwi there. If you do go there, don't mistake the weka – a much more commonly-seen ground bird of a similar size, shape and colour – for a kiwi. Ulva Island is strictly closed to the public at nighttime.

Mason Bay, on the west coast, is probably the easiest place on Stewart Island (and perhaps in the world) to see kiwis in the wild, but is not accessible by road or day hike.


 * Kiwi Wilderness Walks offer an all inclusive guided walk that starts in Invercargill, spends a night at Mason Bay then walk and water taxis across the island to Halfmoon Bay.

Other nature watching
The outskirts of Oban village are one of the best places in southern New Zealand to see kaka parrots, and native tui birds are abundant. Penguins may sometimes be seen within the village in the evenings, as can long-tailed bats, seals and sea lions, and occasionally even kiwi. Sooty shearwaters nest on Ackers Point, and can be seen in late evening over the summer. Stewart Island is known for its relative abundance of podocarp tree species, and is also overflowing with a multitude of fern species.

Ulva Island
Ulva Island Open Sanctuary (in relative isolation but with easy access from Stewart Island) is a sanctuary for both birds and plants, holding species that are rare or have died out on the mainland of New Zealand. Partially private land and partially national park, Ulva Island is possibly the closest to pristine of any area of New Zealand open to the public. In 1997, the island was declared rat-free, following an eradication program, and extirpated birds have been reintroduced to the island (rats have continued to re=invade and be re-exterminated). Specialty birds include the South Island saddleback (tieke), yellowhead (mohua), red-crowned parakeet (kakariki), and Stewart Island robin (toutouwai). A skilled birder can find all of them within a few hours, and even a non-birder is likely to notice the chicken-like weka, which are particularly common here. In addition to birds the general forest health has improved significantly. Many orchids can now be seen that are difficult to find on mainland Stewart Island. New Zealand sea lions are often seen on the beaches. Water taxis and a ferry service regularly make the short trip from Golden Bay.

You can take yourself around Ulva or take a guided tour. If you don't stop much, it takes about 2 hours to walk all the trails, which actually only cover the northern quarter of the island (the rest is inaccessible to the public). If you like to take it slow or expect to be doing a lot of birdwatching, give yourself much more than that.



Walking and hiking
Walking is a popular activity and walks range from a few minutes and easy (Fuchsia Walk) to several days and challenging (Northwest Circuit). For hikes that you can do in a day or less, check out the official [Stewart Island Short Walks brochure https://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/stewart-island-rakiura-short-walks-brochure.pdf], which includes a map and descriptions of each trail.



Deer hunting
White-tailed deer may be found in moderate numbers all over Stewart Island/Rakiura. Red deer are found in moderate numbers in the Northwest. Permits are required for all hunting on Stewart Island/Rakiura and must be applied for in advance from the Department of Conservation or the Rakiura Maori Land Trust. Hunting blocks can be booked via the DOC Website or the Rakiura Maori Land Trust.

Snorkelling
Stewart Island has a rich cold-water marine environment dominated by kelp forests. If you want to go by yourself, bring your own gear and try the north end of Sydney Cove on Ulva Island. The water is 8-12 °C year-round (aka super cold), so you almost certainly will need a wetsuit. Tours from [Stewart Island Adventures https://stewartislandadventures.co.nz/] come highly recommended and include thick wetsuits that will keep you nice and warm.

Eat
There are only a few places to get food on the island. Most, if not all, of them are listed here:



Sleep
There are a variety of accommodation options on Stewart Island - ranging from backpackers, motels, and bed and breakfasts to self catering/contained houses and lodges.

Backcountry DOC huts are theoretically the island's cheapest roof over your head - only $5 per night - but are all located at least two days' walk from town, unless you take a water taxi, private boat, or aircraft. The two DOC huts on the Rakiura Track, each of which is within a one-day walk of town, are $56 per night for foreign citizens (more expensive than the hostel in town).

Campsites on the Rakiura Track, also all about a day's walk out of town, are $24 per person for foreign citizens, and must be booked in advance. Private campsites are available in town at the backpacker's hostel, and outside town at Allan's Base Camp, for about the same price.



Connect
Spark and Vodafone provide mobile phone coverage around Oban.

Free WiFi is available throughout Ayr Street (APNK, password 88 88 88 88), and Elgin Terrace (beachfrontwifi password tokoeka).

Go next

 * Bluff – if returning to the South Island by boat, you will probably land here
 * New Zealand Subantarctic Islands – to the south and east (although you wouldn't generally leave from Stewart Island to get to them)
 * Chatham Islands – if you want to visit more remote and rugged islands, these lie to the east of the South Island (though you wouldn't leave from Stewart Island to get there)