Stewart Island

From WildWiki

Stewart Island

Stewart Island is probably the best place to see a kiwi in the wild. Due to the short nights during the summer, Stewart Island kiwis are often active during daylight hours. They also forage on the beach in Mason Bay where it is much easier to spot them compared to the forest floor. Mason Bay is on the remote western side of the island and can be reached by plane or by tramping.

Here's a sample itinerary for how the group could visit Mason Bay: Day 1: Take a watertaxi to Freshwater Hut. This is entirely dependent on the tides because water taxis can only reach Freshwater Hut approxiimately one hour before or after high tide. Option A: If high tide is early in the morning you can easily walk to Mason Bay that day (skip to Day 2). Option B: If high tide is late in the afternoon you can spend a night at Freshwater Hut. There are only 10 bunks, so the group would have to split up or many would have to camp. Other trampers are also likely to be there. Day 2: Hike 3-4 hours to Mason Bay. Spend the night there and watch for kiwi on the beach. Day 3: Hike back to Freshwater Hut to spend another night or get picked up by water taxi (depending on the tides).

This could be a longer tramp by foregoing water taxis and tramping to/from Oban.

Ulva Island

Ulva Island is a predator-free sanctuary only 10 minutes from Oban. Guided tours are available or there is a $2 self-guided brochure. It is an excellent place to see saddlebacks, kakas, robins, tomtits, brown creepers, red and yellow crowned parakeets, wekas, and bellbirds. Thirty to fourty kiwi are present on the island but are not often seen by visitors. The trails are excellent and well worth exploring, especially the ones near West End Beach (furthest from the jetty). Birders will probably need 3.5-4 hours to explore all of the trails on the island.