Stewart Island: New Zealand’s Third Island and Its Wild South

Stewart Island (Rakiura in Maori, meaning “glowing skies”) sits 30 km south of the South Island across Foveaux Strait, and 85 percent of its 1,746 square kilometres is protected as Rakiura National Park. The island has a permanent population of around 400 people concentrated in the settlement of Oban, and the combination of near-pristine podocarp forest, genuine remoteness, and one of New Zealand’s best kiwi viewing opportunities has kept it quietly on the radar of serious wildlife travellers for decades.

The name “glowing skies” refers to the aurora australis (southern lights), visible from the island on clear autumn and winter nights. At latitude 47 degrees south, Stewart Island is far enough from light pollution that auroras are a realistic prospect from April through September.

Getting There

Stewart Island is reached from Bluff (30 km south of Invercargill) by Foveaux Express ferry, about an hour each way. Foveaux Strait has a well-earned reputation for rough conditions. Stewart Island Flights operates a 20-minute Cessna service from Invercargill Airport; if the strait is active, this is the better option.

Seeing Kiwi

Stewart Island is the best place in New Zealand to see wild kiwi. Unlike mainland kiwi, which are almost entirely nocturnal and rarely seen, the southern tokoeka subspecies here is active at dusk and dawn as well as at night. The beach at Mason Bay – accessible only by water taxi or a multi-day walk through the national park – is famous for daytime kiwi sightings along the shoreline. Finding a kiwi walking along a beach in daylight, unhurried and unafraid, is an experience that does not exist in the wild anywhere else.

From Oban, kiwi spotting tours run after dark to beaches near town where kiwi regularly come to feed. Guided tours are genuinely worthwhile; the guides know the reliable locations and use lights adapted to observe without disturbing the birds. Book through your accommodation or the Oban visitor centre.

Ulva Island

Ulva Island in Paterson Inlet is a predator-free sanctuary reachable by water taxi from Oban (5 minutes). The removal of introduced predators has allowed native bird populations to recover substantially. Saddleback (tieke), South Island robin, yellow-crowned parakeet (kakariki), and kaka are all present. The island has well-marked walking tracks through forest that sounds the way New Zealand forests used to sound everywhere: dense, continuous bird song from every direction, species visible at close range.

Most visitors spend 2 to 4 hours. This is the single most worthwhile activity on the island.

The Rakiura Track

One of New Zealand’s Great Walks: a 36-km circuit from Oban taking 3 days, passing coastal and inland rainforest terrain. Three Great Walk huts (Port William, North Arm, Freshwater River). Book through the Department of Conservation well in advance from October through April.

For shorter walks, the Ackers Point track near Oban (under 90 minutes return) has little blue penguins returning to burrows after dark in the right conditions.

Eating and Staying

The Justcafe and the Oban Hotel are the main eating options in town, both focused on local seafood: bluff oysters when in season (March through August), blue cod, and Stewart Island salmon. The South Sea Hotel bar is the social centre of Oban and the best place to meet locals.

Accommodation is limited; book 4 to 6 weeks ahead for summer. The Shearwater Inn and several self-contained holiday houses represent the range.

Bring cash – ATMs are not available on the island. Withdraw cash in Invercargill before coming.