14/12/2022
RAKIURA STEWART ISLAND - all the details from our visit!
Rakiura can be found at the very bottom of New Zealand, further south than the South Island.
It's accessible by boat, or by plane. The ferry goes from Bluff and takes about 1 hour. It's not a car ferry, so you'll need to leave your vehicle on the mainland (can park at the ferry terminal, for a fee).
Alternatively you can take a 20 minute flight from Invercargill.
We went the ferry option, and it cost us $423 return (under 5s are free). The ferry is notorious for being a fairly rough crossing, so brace yourself. It reduced me to a nauseated, pale, shaking mess on the way out, but was fortunately not so bad on the way back.
We spent 7 nights on the island - 5 nights at the Stewart Island Backpackers and 2 nights in Department of Conservation huts on the Rakiura Track.
We can definitely recommend the backpackers. We had our own 4 bed room, and it cost us $525 for the 5 nights (under 5s are free). They're super friendly and flexible, it has a great vibe, and a very well stocked kitchen and lounge area.
It can get very busy on the Island, particularly over Summer, so it pays to book as far in advance as you can. And the Rakiura Track Great Walk books out very quickly also - we booked it in the day bookings opened for the season to nab our spots.
(There's a whole post about our 32km, 3 day hike on the track, with loads more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/1673605876262368/posts/3398007017155570/?mibextid=Nif5oz)
It's an easy walk from the ferry into the township of Oban, and to most accommodations. There's only 20km of roads on the island, and most things are accessible on foot, but if you want to go further afield there are hire options for cars and ebikes. There's loads of walks to do, and a ton of birdlife, even right in town - Kākā, Tūī, and Kererū are all easily spotted. And if you head back out to the ferry terminal at dusk you'll see Kororā (little blue penguins) coming home for the evening.
But a short water taxi ride (adults $25, kids $15, under 5s free) across to the predator free Ulva Island is where you'll really spot the best birdlife. In addition to the birds already mentioned we also saw South Island Robins, Kākāriki, Rifleman (Tītipounamu), Saddleback (Tīeke) and of course the ever present Weka, that we've developed a love/hate relationship with 🤣
Ulva Island is easily explored on foot, just pick up a $2 brochure with all of the walking tracks and information on the various bird species. Unfortunately I am an exceptionally poor bird photographer (the little buggers never sit still) so if you want to see them you might need to get out here and find them with your own eyes 😉
But of course it's the Kiwi that many people come to Stewart Island to see. There's a very healthy population of Kiwi across the Island, so it's one of the best places in New Zealand to spot one (or more) in the wild.
The Rakiura Kiwi are unique because during the Summer months the days are so long that their simply aren't enough night time hours for them to forage, so they can often be spotted in the daytime. But if, like us, you're not lucky enough to spot a Kiwi in the daylight you can either go exploring after dark yourself with a red torch (to protect their eyes) or for a more sure thing, you can join one of the many Kiwi spotting tours available. The big kid and I went with Beaks & Feathers (adults $125, kids $80) and saw 7 wild Kiwi including a chick that was only a few weeks old. If you haven't seen it already there's a video of one of our encounters here: https://fb.watch/hoOoKrN8qd/
We can also absolutely recommend the South Sea Hotel for a drink and a feed, the Stewart Island Kai Kart for amazing local blue cod fish & chips and The Snuggery for a coffee in cute retro surroundings. Plus there are plenty of other great food and drink options that we didn't get a chance to visit, so don't count them out either.
There are also some excellent litte shops, and be sure to call in and see Dave (and his wee dog) at Rakiura Jade where you can carve your own Pounamu (greenstone) and check out his own beautiful creations.
Definitely consider adding Stewart Island to your lists. It's a beautiful place and well worth whatever time you can give it
❤
