Stewart Island

Stewart Island, New Zealand’s southernmost frontier, is a magnificent wilderness island just 30 km off the southern coast of the South Island, but feels worlds away. This anchor stone of Māori legend has a palpably ancient and remote feel that makes any journey here quite special.  

Remote and Wild

The island’s singular settlement, Oban, is a quaint fishing village of 400 hardy occupants. Everyone knows everyone and time feels like it stretches. The total road network on the Island is 28km (although it feels like 10 km, perhaps this statistic includes both directions?).

More than 85% of Stewart Island is protected under its designation as Rakiura National Park, expansive original native bush, rugged coastlines, and golden sand beaches - reminiscent of the more famous Abel Tasman National Park, just colder. The Stewart island tokoeka, a subspecies of kiwi, roams freely here, even sometimes by daylight.

Things to do on Stewart Island

• The Rakiura Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, is a 32 km, three-day journey through lush forests and across windswept bays and sheltered inlets. And mud. Although not an easy trip, it's still achievable for most novices, unlike the walking trails to the north and southwest of the island that are more suited to advanced hikers who have both fitness and stoicism. These weave across and around the bulk of the island's stunning coastlines and granite outcrops. 

• There are also plenty of lovely short coastal walks in and around the Oban area or consider a guided kiwi tour.

• Take a scenic boat tour and explore remote coves and encounter dolphins, sea lions, and penguins.The rich, cold, and clear waters around the island are festooned with marine life and seabirds. 

• Ulva Island, only a short ferry ride (or paddle) away, is a predator-free sanctuary where rare native birds flit through original forests; this is a rare insight into New Zealand’s pre-human ecosystems.

Trips to Stewart Island offer an experience reminiscent of a time when the natural world set the pace of life. Nature still feels like the boss here.