Travel Stewart Island & Chatham Islands
Discover the lesser visited parts of New Zealand like Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands with their incredible birdlife, stunning scenery, hiking and a great way to get off the beaten track. Check out our tours!
From Invercargill a short flight or boat ride will bring you to Stewart Island or also known as Rakiura, land of the Glowing Skies. Almost all the island is a National Park, and people come here for the nature, hiking, bird watching, fishing, and gathering. Blue penguins and the rare, yellow-eyed penguins waddle among the rocks and Kiwis birds, usually nocturnal can sometimes be found out wandering during the day, something you will not see anywhere else in the world. Discover Ulva Island, only a short boat ride away from Stewart Island unique predator-free environment and a bird lovers paradise. On Ulva Island you will see endangered birds such as Stewart Island robin, saddleback and Yellowhead. An experienced ranger will provide you with lots of interesting information. Stewart island is a place to slow down and enjoy nature, forests and beaches…and be prepared for a place with the often-unpredictable weather of the ‘Roaring Forties’.
Stewart Island/Rakiura is home to the southern-most Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world and offers one of the darkest locations to view the night sky and a fascinating place to spot the Southern Lights in the winter months.
We can offer tailormade private Stewart Island tours to suit your interest with the added bonus of personalised service and specialised destination knowledge. Our Stewart Island small-group tours cover all the highlights while in search for the Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights!
Another less explored part of New Zealand is the Chatham Islands, located 800 kilometers east of the South Island, where the archipelago consists of two main islands and many smaller ones, most of which are uninhabited except for the vast numbers of birds who call the islands their home. The Chatham Islands are one of the first places in the world see the sunrise each day. The Chatham Islands offer visitors ever changing stunning scenery, iconic flora, beautiful nature walks and fascinating history which includes Moriori, Maori & European.