Direct city flights boost visitors to Stewart Island
A direct flight from Auckland means more people are discovering Stewart Island, with some tourism operators saying they have been booked out for months.
The new flight from Auckland to Invercargill was launched in August and it has opened up a new clientele of North Island visitors to the island.
Stewart Island Backpackers coowner Aaron Joy said that the flight had had a positive impact on visitor numbers and bookings had been strong.
‘‘There are definitely more New Zealanders visiting the island now that we’ve got the direct flight from Auckland to Invercargill, which means we’re getting more North Island visitors, which is great. But as far as internationals go, Europe, Germany and people from the Netherlands [had been common].’’
For the backpacker market, a lot of people wanted to do walks and the inaugural Rakiura Challenge had helped build a profile on the island, Joy said.
The Rakiura Challenge Trail Run is a 33-kilometre race held in October and is popular event for the town held around the island’s Great Walk track.
Bay Motel co-owner Rhondda Bergman said the business was booked until the middle of next month.
The bulk of the motel’s visitors would come in January, February and March.
Stewart Island had also started to build a profile and that had brought more New Zealanders in, Bergman said.
‘‘[The dynamic] is changing now. There are a lot of older New Zealanders who haven’t been to Stewart Island that are coming for a week,’’ she said.
People had also started to look at places more further afield and the Raikura Challenge had been good exposure, Bergman said.
Last year’s Raikura Challenge attracted more than 250 participants and at least 100 supporters to the island.
Anchorstone owner Kath Kain also said she was booked out, and November, February and March were the busiest periods.
‘‘Last year was very busy ... people come for the quiet, the birds, the peacefulness.’’
Stewart Island Community Board chairman Jon Spraggon said the cruise ships had started to come in and that had also made the island busier.
More than 400 people live on Stewart Island.