Stewart Island

Stewart Island (Rakiura), New Zealand

The kiwi here do something unusual: they forage on beaches in daylight. The Southern Tokoeka, the subspecies native to Stewart Island, is larger than mainland kiwi and notably less strictly nocturnal. Walk a beach at dusk on Mason Bay and you can, with reasonable luck, watch one work the sand for invertebrates without a red torch, without a hide, and without the staged performance quality of mainland wildlife encounters. This is probably the best argument for making the effort to get here, which takes effort.

Stewart Island sits 30 kilometres south of the South Island across Foveaux Strait, New Zealand’s third-largest island at about 1,750 square kilometres, 85% of which is national park. The total population is around 400, almost all of them in the single settlement of Oban on Halfmoon Bay. There are 28 kilometres of road and 280 kilometres of walking tracks. The proportions tell you most of what you need to know.

Getting There

Stewart Island Experience runs a catamaran from Bluff, the southernmost point of the South Island’s main highway, to Oban. The crossing takes about an hour, costs around NZD 169 return, and the Foveaux Strait can be rough in any season. Take something for seasickness if you are prone to it. Flights from Invercargill take 20 minutes and run weather-dependent; useful for flexibility but plan around the ferry as your primary option. There is one ATM on the island accessible during shop hours; it does not accept non-New Zealand credit cards. Most operators accept card.

Ulva Island

Ulva Island, a 15-minute water taxi from Oban, is the island within the island. It is a predator-free sanctuary and the birds here have no learned fear of people. Walking the tracks through the native bush, you have saddleback, rifleman, kaka, and kakariki approach to within a metre or two. It is the clearest demonstration available anywhere in New Zealand of what the country’s birdlife could look like across the whole archipelago if the introduced predator problem were solved. New Zealand’s ecological restoration work on islands like Ulva is remarkable by world standards and more ambitious in scale than most conservation efforts elsewhere.

Walking

The Rakiura Track, one of New Zealand’s nine Great Walks, is a 3-day loop from Oban covering coastal rainforest, beaches, and the inlet around Paterson Inlet. Huts are bookable through the Department of Conservation. For experienced trampers, the North West Circuit is a serious 9 to 11 day route through the remote interior with significant mud sections, river crossings, and real wilderness. Book huts well in advance for the December to February peak.

Day walking without committing to a multi-day route is entirely viable. The Observation Rock lookout above Oban gives views of Paterson Inlet and takes 30 minutes return. Horseshoe Bay Beach is a short flat walk along the coast.

Fishing

The Foveaux Strait produces exceptional blue cod, and Oban has charter operators running half-day and full-day trips. Blue cod is one of New Zealand’s better eating fish: white, firm, and very fresh when you’re pulling it out of the strait yourself. A good portion of the island’s visitors time their trip around this rather than the kiwi, which is a reasonable priority.

Where to Eat and Stay

The South Sea Hotel on the Oban waterfront is the island’s social centre. Pub, accommodation, meals, a pool table, and the kind of bar where everyone eventually ends up talking to everyone else. The blue cod fish and chips are good, as they should be. The Kai Kart food truck near the jetty does whitebait fritters during season: tiny transparent fish fried in egg batter, a New Zealand delicacy that tastes considerably better than it sounds.

Stewart Island Lodge is the comfortable mid-range accommodation on the hill above Oban. Self-contained cottages and B&Bs are available for longer stays. Prices are higher than the South Island mainland across everything, which is the cost of supply-chain logistics to a remote island.

Practical Notes

Weather changes rapidly in the sub-Antarctic zone. Layers and waterproofs are required regardless of forecast. September through November is an underrated time: fewer visitors than summer, the bush birds at their most active, whitebait season beginning, and reasonable prospects for aurora australis sightings. Stewart Island sits at 47 degrees south, which puts it in a workable position for the southern lights on clear nights.