ACTIVITIES

Keen trampers come from all over the world to tackle New Zealand's Great Walks through Rakiura National Park: the awesome 10-day Northern Circuit, or the gorgeous 3-day Rakiura Track.  This is a bird lovers' paradise as well, and bird enthusiasts from all over the world come here to see the kiwi and the numerous other fascinating birds here.  Adventure seekers have circumnavigated the Island on kayaks. Hunters spend weeks camping and bushwhacking at Port Adventure.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do, or perhaps something you're content to read about other people doing?  

We know that you might have a love of adventure, but may not have the time, the energy or the ability to take on a major excursion. (For some people, just crossing Foveaux Strait is enough adrenaline!) The beauty of staying at Port of Call, the Bach or Turner Cottage is you don't need to go far to experience the Island's incredible birdlife foliage, and history.  All three properties are nestled in bush settings and receive visits from weka, kaka, and other native birds.  Port of Call and the Bach are located a short walk from the Island's oldest historic buildings, and Turner cottage is an historic building, and is also located two minutes from the Museum.

Our team at Stewart Island Water Taxi and Eco Guiding offers a variety of tours. We only work with guides that we know and trust, who have an excellent reputation, and who share our commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism.  This means you will not be herded with a mass of tourists like a sheep! You will love exploring Paterson Inlet's unique bird sanctuary Ulva Island. 

We also recommend:

·                   The Island's day walks, which range from 15 minutes to a few hours. The walk out to Acker's Point begins at our doorstep.  The Horseshoe Point Track is another lovely coastal walk. 

·                   The longer trek to wild Mason Bay Beach on the Western coast is well worth the trip -- Ian's water taxi can take you to Freshwater and you can walk across the Island from there. 

·                   Fishing. Lo Loma, and Rawhiti all offer a great experience on the briny, and Stewart Island blue cod is especially succulent when you've caught it yourself! 

·                   Pelagic bird tour.  Watching an albatross soar is beyond words. 

·                   Bicycling.  Rent a bicycle and tackle the hills of the township out to Lee Bay, the entryway to Rakiura National Park. There are many lovely bays and beaches you can bike to including Lonnekers, Halfmoon Bay, Butterfields Beach, Bathing Beach, Ringa Ringa, Evening Cove, Thule, Golden Bay, Horseshoe Bay and Lee Bay. 

·                   Trail running. Do you travel with running shoes?  The trails around here are well maintained, particularly out to the lighthouse.   

·                   Beach-combing.  Nothing beats beach-combing at Mason Bay or Doughboy, as the next land mass west of there is South America!  If you don't have time to get to the western side of the Island, Maori Beach (an hour's walk from Lee Bay)   has beautiful shells, and you can often see deer prints on Little Beach.  At Horseshoe Bay Beach you will find Arabian volutes and baby paua shells (they are pale blue). 

·                   Rent a kayak from Rakiura Kayaks, and explore Paterson Inlet.  If you want to paddle to Ulva Island but don't think you have a round trip stored in your "gun cabinet", we can arrange 
           kayak retrieval with Ian's water taxi. 

·                   Stewart Island is the only place in the world where it's possible to see a kiwi in daylight hours. Which doesn't mean you're guaranteed seeing one, but a good bet is to go kiwi-spotting with Bravo Cruises. 

·                   No, we don't have any malls, but if you'd like to shop for a unique Island memento there are some terrific wee shops: the Fernery, Glowing Sky Tshirts (started by a local fisherman!), the Craftee Cod, and the Museum which sells a lovely print of an old map of Stewart Island and the locally produced book Stewart Island Boats.

·                   If the weather has "gone to custard" and it's too daunting to go out and "get amongst it", relax, curl up by the fire with a good book.  The Library is open every other day and has a  wonderful collection of Stewart Island books, including the wonderful Rakiura reminiscences The Stewart Islanders and In the Grip of an Island written by Ian's great aunty Olga Sansom and detailing the history of our property at Port of Call! 

·                   An evening at the establishment (the Pub).  Sunday nights are a hoot with Quiz night, and really any night is good fun at the island's only Pub.   

·                   We have a state-of-the art gym in the Community Centre, complete with a weight room, squash court, full court gymnasium, sauna, and table tennis! 

·                   Our Museum has an eclectic collection of Island memorabilia.

Stewart Island is not a routine place, nor is it a list of boxes to tick, and we are not on a 9-5 schedule here.  The weather and seasons rule our lives: our calendar flips from oyster season to whitebait season to the rata tree bloom (that's when the kakapo mates!) We don't often refer to time, it's more like "when the Nor'East dies down" or "when the kaka taps on the window."  To truly relax and enjoy your visit we have observed that a flexible itinerary works best!