Stewart Island Rakiura: The Land of Glowing Skies

Make your own way to Invercargill airport for your flight with Stewart Island Airlines to Oban.

A spectacular 20 minute flight will see us flying low over Oreti Beach, the test track for world record holder Burt Munro, and Foveaux Strait, in a small wing aircraft, a 9 seater
Britten Norman Islander. You will see the forested hills and bays of Rakiura as you come into land, certainly an exciting start to a Stewart Island adventure. (15kg luggage allowance)

On arrival you will be met by your host and given a mini orientation tour of Oban before you arrive at your lodge.

Enjoy the rest of the day at your own leisure.

Dinner is on your own account, there are great options (restaurant, pub, food carts), but as this is a small island, there is a limited number, so we recommend booking restaurants in advance over the high season.

Later in the evening (sometime after dark!), join a small group kiwi spotting tour. This tour offers you a special opportunity to experience kiwi in their natural environment. We have exclusive access to private land where New Zealand’s precious kiwi come out at night to feed.

Ulva Island Guided walking tour
The Island is part of Rakiura National Park and now free of introduced animals and is fast becoming a glimpse into New Zealand’s ancient past. Several species of threatened birds have been reintroduced to this open sanctuary and are doing very well. In addition, the forest is flourishing without the influence of rats and deer. The orchids are particularly impressive during their flowering season.
The tour is around 4 hours and includes all transfers and conservation fees. Tours can start early morning or late afternoon when the birds are at their best. Small group with a maximum size of 6 guests.

If you’d like more time on the Island we can arrange for you to stay on and be picked up later, as the rest of the day is at leisure.

Day at leisure to enjoy Stewart Island

Optional activities – e-bike hire, Greenstone carving, walking or hiking, Coast to Coast flight and hike, etc. Activities can be booked in advance please advise your destination specialist.

Suggested add ons:
Mason Bay “Coast to Coast”
This is a full day walk and involves a plane flight, 4 hours walk from Mason Bay to Freshwater Landing, and then a water taxi ride down Paterson Inlet to Halfmoon Bay. As it requires a low tide to land on Mason Bay, and High tide to boat the Freshwater river the walk requires more or less a full day. Tides will sometimes dictate the journey to be done in reverse.
It’s a great day walk and traverses quite a different landscape to the Port William Track.

Scenic Flight:
Enjoy a 90-minute scenic flight over more remote parts of the island

A fond farewell from Rakiura. Enjoy one final breakfast on the island before your transfer to the airport and flight back to Invercargill