Stewart Island Things to Do

  Sail or power?
by TheWanderingCamel
 
  • Sail or power?
      Sail or power?
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • First stop
      First stop
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • Rakiura Track begins
      Rakiura Track begins
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • Lee Bay
      Lee Bay
    by TheWanderingCamel
  • Linked forever
      Linked forever
    by TheWanderingCamel
 
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Halfmoon Bay and Oban

by TheWanderingCamel

Stewart Island's only town is Oban, situated on the picturesquely-named Halfmoon Bay. Named for its Scottish counterpart in the Hebrides, Oban's Gaelic meaning is "many coves" - very appropriate when you consider just how many bays and coves are to be found around Stewart Island's 700 kilometres of coastline.It's an attractive little place, with its houses scattered on the heavily wooded slopes coming down to the bay where boats bob at their anchors and clusters of painted boatsheds nestle under trees along the shoreline. The red-roofed church overlooking the town is the Presbyterian church - built in 1904. A small museum down by the beach tells the island's story and right on the water the Empress Visitor Centre has a small aquarium featuring local marine life. The town's few (very few!)shops carry a reasonable stock of basic supplies and a small range of souvenirs but no-one could say...

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First fetch your map

by TheWanderingCamel

The first place to head for when you leave the ferry on arrival on Stewart Island is the Visitor's Centre, just along the dock. This is where you can collect free maps and all the information you need to begin to explore the island and to understand its unique ecosystem and history.As well as vehicle hire, tour and cruise bookings, excellent track information and weather updates are available. Hikers must report here for their hut passes (charged) and to lodge intent forms. There's a small selection of books on local themes, plus the usual assortment of souvenirs and postcards on sale. There are also storage lockers available.

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Cruisin'

by TheWanderingCamel

Boats and islands go together and Stewart Island is no exception. There are any number of opportunities to get back on the water once you've left the ferry - whether you choose to make your way under power, sail or paddle is up to you.Various outfits offer Paterson's Inlet tours and fishing trips, including evening tours that might include kiwi spotting. You'll need a water taxi and at least a half a day to get you to Whalers Base, where relics of the days of whaling can be found. A semi-submersible cruise will show you a whole new world of the kelp forests and sea creatures that inhabit Halfmoon Bay.Sea kayakers will find DOC-maintained huts that are accessible only by boat but these are isolated waters and only really experienced kayakers should consider making use of them. Organized kayaking trips are available and kayaks can be hired by the hour.

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Golden tranquility

by TheWanderingCamel

Paterson's Inlet, formed by a drowned river bed, cuts a deep swathe right into the heart of Stewart Island, almost cutting the island in two. Long, low Ulva Island in the middle of the inlet is a bird sanctuary. You'll need to arrange some sort of boat to get you over there, either a water taxi from Golden Bay or with a guided tour. Either way, the island wonderful bird and plant life warrants a leisurely visit, something my post-surgery knee was not really up to, so we decided to put that off to another time and simply wended our way around the inlet as far as the road could take us, enjoying the tranquility and dappled light as we made our way past picturesque old boat sheds, handsome stands of trees, huge clumps of echiums and boats bobbing quietly at their moorings.

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Anchoring the island

by TheWanderingCamel

The arch that marks the entrance to Stewart Island's Rakiura National Park is actually a link in a giant sculptured chain. It symbolises an ancient Maori legend that tells of how the great Polynesian navigator, Maui, pulled the island up from the sea bed to act as an anchor for the vast war canoe - Te Waka o Aoraki - the South Island of New Zealand. Stewart Island's Maori name is Rakiura, the anchor stone is Te Puka o Maui. Symbolically now, the chain passes under the waters seperating the two islands, firmly linking the anchor and the canoe together forever. It further symbolizes the ties of history, custom and legend that bind the Maori people of Rakiura to their island home.

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A primeval world

by TheWanderingCamel

Head north out of Oban on Horseshoe Bay Road and after skirting right along the edge of Horseshoe Bay itself, after about 4km you'll reach Lee Bay at the end of the road. From here on it's Shanks's pony, a narrow track the only path through the dense bush that covers most of the islandA beautiful sweep of the coastline opens out before you, the track leads past some information signs, under an arch formed by a rusty-red sculpture into the forest. This is the Rakiura Track, New Zealand's most southerly - and at just 35km long, shortest Great Walk. It takes three days to walk the full circuit to Port William and back around to Halfmoon Bay (there are two huts along the way) but even day visitors with just a few hours on the island should take the time to walk some of it.Do so and you enter a quiet world of true wilderness. A plaque on the approach path tells us "The face of the world is...

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The views go on forever

by TheWanderingCamel

It's a stiff climb up to Oban's Observation Rock which ever way you approach it ( Excelsior Road is particularly steep!) but the views from the top are well worth the puff. Spread out before you is the sweep of Paterson's Inlet and the islands enclosed within its long outer arm. Photo 1, taken looking to the southwest shows Thule Bayand Vaia Voe Bay, with the island's highest point, Mount Anglem in the far distance. Photo 2, taken looking south, shows Iona Island in the lower left with Ulva Island in the middle distance. Photo 3 looks straight down into Golden Bay, way below the rock.

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Visit Ulva Island

by bsfreeloader

Ulva Island is one of several island sanctuaries run by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation in an attempt to prevent the extinction of some of New Zealand’s rarest plants and animals. Man and introduced predators on New Zealand’s main islands have had a devastating effect on native wildlife. While it is impossible to eradicate and extremely difficult to control the introduced predators on the mainland, it is possible to do so on the smaller, uninhabited islands. Like most of the other DOC island sanctuaries, Ulva Island has been a tremendous success both in preserving the flora and fauna and in providing an open laboratory for scientific study and public education. In addition to some of the more common birds you are likely to see on a visit to Ulva Island (such as Tui, Weka, and Kaka), you also should see otherwise rare species such as Yellowhead, Stewart Island Robin, and South...

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Go Birdwatching

by bsfreeloader

Introduced predators have yet to ravage Stewart Island bird populations like they have on the North and South Islands. As a result, Stewart Island is a refuge for some native birds otherwise difficult to see on the “mainland.” And many species found in respectable numbers on the main islands thrive on Stewart Island. Among the most common are Kaka, New Zealand Pigeon, Tui, Bellbird, Tomtit, Grey Fantail, and New Zealand Robin, most of which can be encountered on any of the short walks in and around Oban.

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Go Heli-Hiking

by bsfreeloader

Although not the most eco-friendly of activities, a heli-hike does allow you to see more than you otherwise could when your time is limited. It also allows you to see Stewart Island from above, which is worth it in and of itself. There are several potential heli-hikes available, but the most popular involves a helicopter ride from Oban to Mason Bay, followed by a 15-kilometer hike to Freshwater Landing, followed by a water taxi ride from Freshwater Landing back to Oban. The helicopter will drop you off at Mason Bay at approximately 10:00 am, and the water taxi (although tide dependent) will pick you up sometime mid-afternoon. This should give you five or six hours to complete the hike along a sometimes muddy trail through the bush and swamp.

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Fun things to do in Stewart Island

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Questions and Answers

claired1982 profile photo

Q:  Hi We are touring the south island in a van, having already done the north island and are pretty low on money. We wanted to... 

angiebabe profile photo

A: hi, i myself as a traveller always like to see what i can and the challenge of getting to the unusual or special places that take a bit of effort - ive been to stewart... 

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