Exploring the southern extreme

As part of our tour of some of New Zealand’s most spectacular destinations, we head to the deep, deep south.

Rakiura National Park is only 30km away from Bluff and mainland New Zealand, but feels like it’s a world away.

National park status was bestowed upon the area in 2002, making it the country’s youngest of 13. That being said, the area has hardly been sullied at the hands of man.

A chain sculpture which those tramping here may encounter is one of the few manmade touches outside of Oban, the only town on the island. The chain serves as a symbolic link to the rest of the country.

Within the swathe of forest, unblemished beaches and flood plains, you’ll find a wide assortment of wildlife - seals, deer, penguins, kiwi, weka, kaka, the Rakiura robin and plenty of other native birds.

For that reason, the national park is always busy - whether it’s for trekking, bird-watching, snorkelling, fishing or hunting.

Visitors Centre supervisor Diana Morris says that is largely down to the tracks, one of the island’s biggest drawcards and catering to varying abilities.

The Rakiura Track is one of the country’s nine Great Walks too, so there is plenty of interest from international visitors.

‘‘People want to see kiwi... it’s a huge drawcard for lots of people,’’ Morris says. The local kiwi is known as tokoeka and is unusual in that it sometimes emerges during daylight.

Rakiura National Park covers 85 per cent of the island, or 157,000 hectares of land.

It can all be seen from the island’s highest point: Hananui, or Mt Anglem, sitting at 980 metres.

While Hananui is dwarfed by the mountains found in other national parks around the country, it’s the undulating tracks that provide the challenges to visitors.

While there are shorter gravelled tracks for those wanting an easier experience, the island includes some tough multi-day walks recommended for seasoned trampers only - both the track conditions and the weather can be extreme.

If you were truly committed, you could spend weeks exploring by foot; the Department of Conservation says there are close to 300 kilometres of tracks on the island.

While tramping and the national park has become the island’s main drawcard for thousands of visitors each year, the wildlife is another important attraction , Morris says.

Snorkelling is popular in Paterson Inlet (Oban, Stewart Island’s only town, sits on the edge of the inlet).

The inlet is a mataitai, a customary fishing reserve, which has allowed sealife to thrive, and within it sits tiny, predator-free Ulva Island, a five-minute watertaxi ride from Oban and a precious wildlife sanctuary.

Kaka, red-fronted parakeet and South Island saddlebacks can be found on the small island, while kiwi also roam the bush.

The island also plays host to a breeding ground for the