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    Stewart Island (Rakiura)
    Island

    Stewart Island (Rakiura)

    Stewart Island lies approximately 30 kilometres south of Bluff, across Foveaux Strait. A good 80 percent of the island belongs to Rakiura National Park, and its only settlement is Oban on Halfmoon Bay.

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    9. Stewart Island (Rakiura)
    Stewart Island lies approximately 30 kilometres south of Bluff, across Foveaux Strait. A good 80 percent of the island belongs to Rakiura National Park, and its only settlement is Oban on Halfmoon Bay. The island is one of the best places in New Zealand to see kiwis in the wild, and the offshore Ulva Island is a predator-free bird sanctuary.

    Sights in Stewart Island (Rakiura)

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Museum

    1Rakiura Museum

    The small museum in Oban showcases the island's history: Māori settlement, whaling, timber industry, fishing, and islanders' lives.
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    Attraction

    2Ulva Island

    The predator-free island in Paterson Inlet is an open bird sanctuary with Saddleback, Rifleman, Weka, and Stewart-Island-Robin. Water taxis depart from Golden Bay near Oban, a ten-minute trip; the paths can be explored in two to three hours.
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    Restaurants in Stewart Island (Rakiura)

    1

    Kai Kart

    Takeaway in Oban serving Fish and Chips and other dishes, popular after arriving by ferry.
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    Rakiura

    RakiuraThe Māori name Rakiura is usually translated as “Land of the Glowing Skies,” a reference to the Southern Lights occasionally seen here. For the Kāi Tahu, the island was an important site for the seasonal gathering of young shearwaters (Tītī). Europeans arrived as sealers, whalers, loggers, and fishers. Since 2002, Rakiura National Park has protected most of the island.Only a few hundred people live on the entire island, almost all in Oban. Life revolves around fishing, conservation, and tourism.

    Arrival and On the Go

    Getting Here and AroundThe ferry from Bluff takes about an hour and can be very rough in windy weather. Stewart Island Flights flies in roughly 20 minutes from Invercargill. In Oban, everything is reachable on foot; the island has only a few kilometres of road.Water taxis will take you to Ulva Island and the walking tracksThe Rakiura Track is a Great Walk of two to three daysWild kiwis are best seen on guided evening tours

    Experiences on Stewart Island

    Kiwi Tour

    At night, guides accompany small groups to beaches where the Stewart Island kiwi forages for food, unlike other species, often at dusk too.

    Ackers Point

    A path of about three hours return leads from Oban to the lighthouse at Ackers Point. Evenings, Little Penguins and Shearwaters return to land here.

    Observation Rock

    A short climb in the village leads to a viewpoint over Paterson Inlet, a popular spot for sunset.

    Accommodations in Stewart Island (Rakiura)

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    Nearby

    Bluff

    Bluff is a port town at the southern tip of the South Island, about 30 kilometers south of Invercargill. Here State Highway 1 ends, the ferry to Stewart Island departs, and the famous Bluff oyster comes from the Foveaux Strait.

    Invercargill

    Invercargill is New Zealand's southernmost city and the hub of the Southland agricultural region. Wide, grid-patterned streets, historic buildings on Dee and Tay Street, the large Queens Park, and vehicle collections centered around motorcycle racer Burt Munro characterize the city. The Catlins, Bluff, and Stewart Island are close.

    Southland

    Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region, from the peaks of Fiordland to Foveaux Strait. It includes vast farmland, the city of Invercargill, Bluff Harbour, Stewart Island, and the southern Catlins.
    The Catlins

    The Catlins

    The Catlins are a sparsely populated coastal region in the southeast of the South Island between Invercargill and Balclutha. The Southern Scenic Route passes by waterfalls like the Purakaunui Falls, the rugged coastline of Nugget Point, and the petrified forest of Curio Bay, where Yellow-eyed penguins and Hector's dolphins live.
    Manapouri

    Manapouri

    Manapouri is a small town on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, approximately 20 kilometers south of Te Anau. Boats for Doubtful Sound tours depart from Pearl Harbour, and it's also a quieter overnight stay option than Te Anau.