Stewart Island

A world of its own

Stewart Island is a peaceful and quiet place, and the surrounding ecological environment has remained unchanged for thousands of years. In the daytime, along with the creaking melody of the path being trampled on; At night, Lulu owls sleep with the sound of "more polk" and the occasional hissing of exotic birds; In the morning, let the incomparably fresh air fill the viscera and awaken the vitality of the whole body. This journey close to the center of the earth will present a dazzling new picture in your journey.

Footpath overview

Lachiura Trail is a 36 km loop line. It moves along the open coast, then stretches to the forest covered mountains and crosses the lush beaches of Paterson Inlet. Thanks to the generous permission of Maori landowners, some sections of the road can enter private territory. For most people, this trail can be completed in three days.

Most of the trails are boardwalks that protect you from the mud that Stewart Island is known for. There are two wooden houses and three campsites along the line. You can travel around the footpath from any direction. It is suitable for all seasons, and it is no problem in winter, because the climate here is very mild and the weather is very stable.

Beach, Coast and Forest

The beautiful and deserted beach is a unique highlight of this trail. Maori Beach once had a Maori village and a sawmill. Although it has returned to silence, there are still some interesting relics worth exploring. It's very interesting to pick up shellfish on this beach - camel foot snails, giant salamanders, southern snails, Cook salamanders, pink barnacles, and there are many kinds.

Most of the forests in the middle section of Lachiura Trail are composed of Ruimu and Lonicera, but you can also see tree ferns, lichens and delicate tree orchids. Here, the Suzuki and the honey sucking bird can sing a moving song, just like a gentle symphony, although Kaka parrot occasionally inserts two sentences in a gruff voice.

The southern section of the trail will take you through Patterson Bay, the largest harbor on the island. The bay stretches for 16km and is connected to the open sea. There are 20 islands and reefs in it, and the water is extremely clear. This is all due to the undisturbed vegetation of Stewart Island, which intercepts a large amount of sediment for the sea. Pattsennei Bay belongs to the drowning estuary, which was once a shallow river and finally sank to the bottom of the sea.

Bird Paradise Tour

The population of Stewart Island is very small, but the birds are extremely numerous. Compared with less than 400 human beings, the lush and primitive forest of Rohan Pine on the island is full of native birds. There are more than 100 kinds of birds on the island, including very rare native eared birds, saddle backed crows, robins and yellow crowned parrots.

The brown exotic bird of Stewart Island, also known as the southern hemisphere Tokoga exotic bird, is one of the six known species of exotic birds. Strange birds can't fly, and most of them have nocturnal habits. However, the Tokoga Kiwi is as active during the day as it is at night. It is estimated that there are 20000 exotic birds on Stewart Island. You don't need to expect to meet strange birds, because they are afraid of people. However, the local travel agency can arrange a bird watching trip to Ocean Beach to take you to look for strange birds that like to hunt sand fleas there.

Stewart Island is also rich in seabirds - albatrosses, great petrels, whale birds, small petrels, cormorants, seagulls, terns, boobies and blue penguins are common. During the breeding season, a large number of black crabs will come to live there. You will also find some larger penguins, such as rock jumping penguins, fjord crested penguins, yellow eyed penguins and ring crested penguins.

The beach of Patterson Bay is the habitat of many wading birds, including New Zealand plover, oyster snipe, heron and woodcock.