Image: Martin Sharman | Creative Commons
Native forest on Ulva Island.
Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara

Located in Stewart Island/Rakiura in the Southland region

Visit iconic Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara, off Stewart Island/Rakiura, a beautiful island sanctuary open to the public. Walking through bush vibrant with bird life, you'll begin to understand just what's possible without predators.

Iconic Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara is one of the few pest-free open sanctuaries in New Zealand. In this unspoiled rainforest you can see rare birds and plants at close quarters in a safe environment mostly unchanged by human activity and free of introduced animals. 

Never milled and pest-free since 1997, the island offers threatened native species a safe haven in which to flourish. Healthy populations of kiwi, saddleback and yellowhead can be found – birds which often struggle on the mainland.

It's normally a short boat ride to get to Ulva Island.

Ulva Island is situated inside Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera, Stewart Island/Rakiura and has a land area of 266.6 hectares along with a coastline of about 11 km.

We aim to keep Ulva Island a predator fee location. Follow the guidelines on how to keep Ulva Island predator free as described in know before you go.

Access by boat

Access is by boat, from either Halfmoon Bay or Golden Bay, on Stewart Island/Rakiura. Water taxis, guides, charter boats, and a ferry are available to the main wharf at Post Office Bay. This bay is on the north side of the island and is where the main walking tracks start from.

Own vessel

If you use your own vessel, anchorage is likely in Sydney Cove. Ulva Island-Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve is nearby. Check the boundaries of the marine reserve.
  • Night visits are not allowed.
  • Dogs are not allowed on Ulva Island. They can kill ground birds.
  • There is no public accommodation on the island and camping is not allowed.
  • There are no shops on Ulva Island. Pack everything you need before going to the island.

When on the island

  • Do not play any bird calls/songs.
  • Drone use is not allowed above Ulva Island unless you have a drone permit.
  • Follow all signs and keep to the paths.
  • Do not feed any of the wildlife or birdlife, especially the weka.
  • Take all your rubbish with you when you leave. There are no rubbish bins.

Keep Ulva Island predator-free

Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara was declared free of rats after a successful eradication programme that began in 1992 and was completed in 1996.

Ulva Island has high natural values and its relatively unmodified state makes it an important island for the conservation of threatened species.

Your help is needed

Rats can stowaway on a boat. Water taxis and tour boats carry poison bait stations to prevent rats getting to the island. Rats can also hitch a ride on private boats or kayaks. Weeds can be a problem too. Weed seeds are very small and can easily be introduced on footwear or in bags.

  • Check your boat/kayak, bags or packs for rats before setting out for the island.
  • Make sure there are no rats on your boat or in your gear.
  • Check your footwear, pockets and Velcro tabs for any seeds that may be hitching a ride. 
  • If you see evidence of rats on Ulva Island, report it immediately to DOC.

Steps to do before you visit a pest free island

The Ulva Island Charitable Trust raises and manages funds to assist DOC to upgrade tracks and visitor facilities on Ulva Island and help keep it free of introduced pests and predators.

Ulva Island Charitable Trust.

Most of the island is part of The Rakiura National Park, with the remaining 7.6 ha, between Post Office Bay and Sydney Cove, being privately owned.

The island is looked after by many people, including the Department of Conservation, Ulva Island Charitable Trust, and the Hunter family.

Birds

Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara, is renowned for its diverse and abundant birdlife including weka, kākā, kākāriki, tūī, bellbirds/korimako, pigeons/kereru, fantails/piwakawaka, saddleback/tieke, rifleman/titipounamu, brown creeper/pīpipi, Stewart Island robin/toutouwai and yellowhead/mohua. Some visitors may even be lucky enough to catch a rare day-time glimpse of the Stewart Island brown kiwi/tokoeka. 

Trees and plants

The island forest is a typical southern New Zealand podocarp mix dominated by rimu, southern rātā and kāmahi, with associated stands of Hall’s tōtara and miro. Southern rātā is the southern equivalent of pohutukawa. Its bright scarlet flowers present a distinctive splash of colour on the island during the summer of good flowering years. The flaky bark and gnarled trunks are distinctive rata features.

Rimu is the tallest of the island’s native trees emerging high above the forest canopy. Around the coastal fringe areas of the forest, smaller shrubs form a buffer with the sea. In the more sheltered areas inside the forest there is a diverse understorey of broadleaf species, as well as a number of tree and ground ferns.

Marine foreshore life 

On the beaches, you may come across:

  • fur seals/kekeno
  • sea lions/pakake/whakahao
  • occasionally leopard seals and elephant seals.

These marine mammals regularly come ashore to rest, sometimes well into the bush or on tracks. Don’t approach them. Always keep at least 20 metres away.

The long Ngāi Tahu presence in Paterson Inlet and Ulva Island is seen by the number of archaeological sites, named features and urupa (burial grounds) in the area. Settlements such as The Neck/Te Wehe a Te Wera were important places for the local pre-European Māori community, and later in the development of the integrated Māori/European communities.

It was visited by Ngāi Tahu Māori as part of their food gathering trips and later housed the first Stewart Island Post Office. It was declared a reserve in 1899.

It was also visited periodically by Ngāi Tahu to strip bark from totara trees for use in storing harvested muttonbirds/titi. Some sites where tōtara trees have been stripped are probably 100 – 200 years old.

In 1872 Charles Traill established a post office in Post Office Bay which was operated until 1923. The old post office, the first in the Stewart Island/Rakiura region, can still be seen behind the privately owned houses near the landing. The old post office, the first in the Stewart Island/Rakiura region, can still be seen behind the privately owned houses near the landing. The post office is barely visible.

Charles Traill and his brother Walter, both Orkney Islanders, established an extensive garden which included radiata pine and other exotic tree species. Some large survivors of their garden are still growing alongside the native forest trees on the island.

In the 1880s the Tourist Department provided funding for the island's tracks. The island became one of New Zealand's first reserves in 1899, when it was officially declared a reserve for the 'Preservation of Native Game and Flora'.