Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
Located in Stewart Island/Rakiura in the Southland region
Introduction
Rakiura National Park is located on Stewart Island/Rakiura, 30 km south west of Bluff between latitudes 46 and 47 degrees south.Explore pristine beaches, sheltered inlets, and coastal forest, and see seals, penguins, kiwi, weka and many other birds. There are also opportunities for hunting, fishing, boating, cruises and scenic flights.
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Find things to do and places to stay
Rakiura National Park
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Walking and tramping
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5 results for walking and tramping tracks
Camping
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8 results for camping/campsites
Little Hellfire Campsite
Category:Backcountry
Access:Foot
Lucky Beach Campsite
Category:Backcountry
Access:Boat, Foot
Māori Beach Campsite
Category:Great Walk
Access:Foot
Stay in a hut
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30 results for huts
Abrahams Bay Hunters Hut
Category:Basic/bivvies
Diving and snorkelling
Diving and snorkelling around the coast of Stewart Island/Rakiura and within its many bays and inlets is spectacular. There are more varieties of seaweed than anywhere else in New Zealand, mainly in Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera. The inlet is also home to an ancient filter feeding shellfish, the brachiopod.
The Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve provides a great location for snorkel and scuba diving. Find out more about diving in the marine reserve.
There is no diving equipment for hire or sale on the island.
Hunting
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36 results for hunting blocks
Abrahams Bay hunting block
Species:Deer - White-tail, Possums
Big Hellfire hunting block (#13)
Species:Deer - Red, Deer - White-tail, Possums
Bosom hunting block (#24)
Species:Deer - White-tail, Possums
Transport
Rakiura Adventure Limited
Water taxi on Freshwater River, Stewart Island.
Activities: Boating
Services: Transport
Rakiura Charters & Water Taxi
Rakiura Charters offers custom and scheduled water taxi services around Stewart Island, including to Freshwater River and other tramping destinations, besides a variety of guided tours and transfers for hunters all around Paterson Inlet.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating; Diving and snorkelling; Hunting; Walking and tramping
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Stewart Island Helicopters
Transfers to Stewart Island. Scenic flights, private and commercial charter flights for Stewart Island. Track transport.
Activities: Fishing; Hunting
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Aihe Eco Charters & Water Taxi
Water taxi service, small boat cruises, pelagic bird and marine mammal watching aboard Aihi, with its all round viewing. Local knowledge of Stewart Island, Ulva Island and Rakiura National Park.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
RealNZ
Boat cruises in Milford and Doubtful Sound, boat and coach transport, guided walks for Te Anau Glowworm caves, Milford Track and Stewart Island and guided kayaking; Fiordland and Rakiura National Parks, Ulva Island.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating; Kayaking and canoeing
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Accommodation
Rakiura Hunter Camps Charitable Trust
Huts in hunting blocks in Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island.
Services: Accommodation
Guided activities and tours
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating; Diving and snorkelling; Hunting; Walking and tramping
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Ulva's Guided Walks
Guided walking on Rakiura and Ulva Islands.
Activities: Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours
Fiordland Discovery
Commercial vessel-based carriage of passengers to view marine mammals
Activities: Boating
Services: Guided activities and tours
Ruggedy Range Wilderness Experience
Guided walks, bird watching (including pelagic birds, kiwi spotting), sea kayaking, small boat cruises, scenic road tours, water taxi and shuttle service to/from tracks. Local knowledge of Stewart Island, Ulva Island and Rakiura National Park.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating; Kayaking and canoeing
Services: Guided activities and tours
RealNZ
Boat cruises in Milford and Doubtful Sound, boat and coach transport, guided walks for Te Anau Glowworm caves, Milford Track and Stewart Island and guided kayaking; Fiordland and Rakiura National Parks, Ulva Island.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating; Kayaking and canoeing
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Talisker Charters
Guided boat tours around Stewart Island, Fiordland and the subantarctic Islands.
Activities: Boating
Services: Guided activities and tours
Exclusive Tourism Services Ltd
Guided Walking and four wheel driving expeditions around the South Island.
Activities: Four wheel driving; Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours
Social Nature Movement Ltd: Concessionaires
Guiding on selected tracks in both the North and South islands.
Activities: Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours; Outdoor education and instruction
Pure Salt NZ Ltd
Marine mammal viewing on land and in the water within the coastal waters of Fiordland, Foveaux Strait and Rakiura/Stewart Island (including swimming with seals and dolphins at Rakiura/Stewart Island and South Coast only).
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating
Services: Guided activities and tours
Bravo Adventure Cruises
Kiwi spotting and boat transport/charters in Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching
Services: Guided activities and tours
Stewart Island Experience
Guided walks and boat cruises in Paterson Inlet, Rakiura National Park, Ulva Island, Stewart Island.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating
Services: Guided activities and tours
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching; Boating
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Tamarillo Active Travel
Guided day walks in West Coast, Canterbury, Otago, Fiordland and Rakiura areas.
Activities: Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours
Elwing Discoveries
Guided walks around Ulva Island, Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching
Services: Guided activities and tours
Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ
Guided birding and wildlife walks and pelagic seabirding tours around the New Zealand coastline.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching
Services: Guided activities and tours
Kiwi Wildlife Tours
Guided bird watching tours throughout New Zealand.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching
Services: Guided activities and tours
Tanken Tours
Guided walking, mountain biking and four wheel driving in South Island locations as part of bus tours.
Activities: Four wheel driving; Mountain biking
Services: Guided activities and tours
Terra Nova Tours Ltd
Guided day walking activity throughout New Zealand including the Queen Charlotte Track and Abel Tasman National Park.
Activities: Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours
Activities: Fishing; Hunting
Services: Transport; Guided activities and tours
Nature Quest New Zealand
Custom birding and natural history tours for individuals and groups throughout New Zealand. Private self-drive trips and special interest tours for overseas tour companies and conservation societies.
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching
Services: Guided activities and tours
Tutoko Outdoor Guides
Guided walks throughout the South Island and booking of DOC huts, as part of tours specialising in Japanese tourists/language.
Services: Guided activities and tours
Outdoor education and instruction
Activities: Walking and tramping
Services: Guided activities and tours; Outdoor education and instruction
Visit the Rakiura National Park Visitor Centre for help with outdoor plans on Stewart Island/Rakiura, and to learn about the island's natural and cultural values.
Transport to the island is either a 20-minute flight from Invercargill Airport or a one-hour trip on the ferry from Bluff.
Trampers need to be prepared for southern weather which can turn wild, wet and windy at any time of the year.
There is always mud on the Northwest and Southern circuits and those attempting these tracks need to allow for flooding in certain areas during rainy periods.
A visit to the Rakiura National Park Visitor Centre in Oban is recommended before beginning any of the longer walks within Rakiura National Park, as weather and track conditions are constantly subject to change.
Weather forecast
No unauthorised drone use in the national park
Unauthorised use of drones is prohibited. You must have a permit to fly a drone.
DOC does not generally approve permits to fly drones in this national park and we do not recommend you apply for one.
Stewart Island is remarkable for its almost complete cover of natural vegetation with rich birdlife. Read about nature in Rakiura National Park.
Rakiura National Park covers 157,000 ha, 85% of Stewart Island/Rakiura.
The National Park was established in 2002.
Excavations
Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of Maori habitation around Stewart Island/Rakiura from the 13th Century. Hunting camps or kaika were established at many coastal sites including Port William/Potirepo and Freshwater River, and were reached by outrigger canoe.
The first Europeans
The crew of Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour were the first Europeans to sight the island in 1770, but they mapped it as a cape connected to the South Island. Their reports of seals and whales drew the next wave of Europeans, and sealers established the first mixed race settlement, on Codfish Island in 1818.
Settlement at Port Pegasus/Pikihatiti
An attempted shipbuilding settlement at Port Pegasus/Pikihatiti in 1826 was the first of several ventures here including gold prospecting, tin mining and commercial fishing.
Land purchase and guardianship
Crown agents purchased the island from Rakiura Maori in 1864, but rights to harvest titi (sooty shearwater/muttonbird) were protected. Subsequent representations and agreements resulted in Rakiura Maori becoming kaitiaki (guardians) of over 10,000 hectares of Stewart Island land and the tïtï islands.
Activity at Port William/Potirepo
Port William was the site of the early Maori settlement of Pa Whakataka. Subsequently its sheltered harbour was used as a sealing and whaling base, was the site of unsuccessful gold prospecting, an oyster fishery and a brief attempted settlement of Shetland Islanders.
Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera
Development of large-scale industry began in 1861 with the opening of the first sawmills at Kaipipi in Paterson Inlet. A ready supply of timber helped establish shipbuilding, while fish-curing and the discovery of oyster beds prompted the growth of the island's fishing industry.
Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara in Paterson Inlet became the hub of the community through its post office built in 1872 and used until 1923. Over time, European settlement steadily concentrated around Oban, although there were pastoral farming ventures. Mason Bay was the site of the island's last major farm.
Island Hill Run and Homestead
Island Hill Run and Homestead is Stewart Island's longest running sheep station. It was established in 1879 and much remains of the original homestead complex. Find out about Island Hill Run and Homestead.
Today
The livelihoods of the island's 400 permanent residents are today based around cod fishing, paua and crayfish gathering, salmon and mussel farming and tourism. Today all residents live in Halfmoon Bay and other areas around Oban. Fishing, marine farming and tourism are the main industries of Stewart Island.
An island with many names
Rakiura is the Māori name for Stewart Island. It is translated as 'The Land of Glowing Skies' and probably refers as much to the night-time displays of Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights, as to the sunsets. The name may also refer to the story of ''Te Rakiura a Te Rakitamau' – the "deep blushing of Te Rakitamau", recalling his embarrassment on hearing that the woman he sought to marry was already engaged and his deepening blush when he asked after the woman's sister and heard she too was engaged.
The island is also known as Te Puka a te Waka a Maui, 'The Anchor of Māui Canoe' and a chain link sculpture at Lee Bay reflects this story. The island takes its more recent European name from William Stewart, an officer of the sealing vessel the Pegasus, who compiled the first detailed chart of the southern coast.