Stewart Island

Stewart Island

Called Rakiura, "Place of Glowing skies" by the Maoris, Stewart Island is New Zealand's third largest island and newest National Park (opened March 9th, 2002) . Despite it's isolation, the Island is an awe-inspiring place to visit. Situated just a few kilometres south of the South Island, the island is unspoilt, wild and subject to some pretty inhospitable weather at times.

Because of it's cold isolation and mostly dense, forest covered landscape, the island provides a haven for beautiful rare birds. These include the Tui, Parakeet, Kaka, Bell bird, Robin, Dotterel, Fern bird and of course New Zealand's adorable treasure, the Kiwi. Other wildlife include little blue Penguins, Deer and Possums. 64 kilometres in length and 40 kilometres at its widest, the island boasts a miniscule population of just over 600 people, making it one of most sparsely populated islands in the world. Most of the population lies in the eastern settlement of Oban.

A visit to Stewart Island is an opportunity to sample the wonders of nature and to get away from it all.