The Luxury Travel Guide to Stewart Island [2023]

© Stewart Island Helicopters

Flights to Stewart Island

The adventure could start with simply getting to Stewart Island. How about on a breathtaking journey by helicopter or fixed-wing flight?

Swap the ferry for the skies, either from Bluff with Stewart Island Helicopters (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor) or from Invercargill with Stewart Island Flights. To make it more of an experience rather than a journey, Stewart Island Helicopters offers a variety of scenic flights ranging from 30 minutes to two hours where you can put your feet in the sand on the island’s most remote beaches and see the scenery of its multi-day hiking trails without hiking in the mud.

Both Stewart Island Helicopters and Stewart Island Flights offer flights to Mason Bay, landing on the beach where you can experience an overnight hike back across the island. Chances are, you’ll spot a kiwi bird or two along the way!

© Unsplash

Luxury Tours and Experiences

Once you’ve booked flights and found the ideal accommodation on Stewart Island (see Stewart Island Accommodation alongside this article on desktop or below on mobile), it’s time to complete your luxury trip to Stewart Island with some premium experiences.

Guided Tours of Ulva Island

Speaking of kiwi birds, Stewart Island is one of the best places in New Zealand to see an abundance of wildlife in their natural element. A must is a guided tour of Ulva Island, a predator-free bird sanctuary that gives visitors a glimpse of what New Zealand used to be like before human settlement. Wander among the chorus of birdsong with colourful parakeets darting across the trees and kiwi birds roaming on the ground. Join RealNZ/Stewart Island Experiences (see Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook) for their small-group guided experience with catamaran transport to Ulva Island. Alternatively, Sails Ashore Lodge offers an Ulva Island tour, starting in the morning or afternoon, with knowledgeable locals who used to be forest rangers.

Guided Nature Walks, Photography Tours and More

Finally, while Ruggedy Range also offers Ulva Island tours, they are also a good go-to for just about anything else on Stewart Island. Guided nature walks lasting half-day to overnight, scenic cruises and road tours, photography tours and dedicated kiwi-spotting and bird watching tours are all available with this eco-tour company. Experiences are typically small-group (or just your group), providing a truly personalised experience of Stewart Island.

To learn more about Stewart Island’s other premium experiences, like scenic cruises, take a look at the 6 Best Luxury Activities on Stewart Island.

© Pixabay

All-Weather Luxury Experiences

Stewart Island is also home to a unique experience as the only location in New Zealand where you can do shark cage diving. Not only with an array of shark species but with the mightiest of all, the great white shark!

Dive with Great White Sharks

As long as sea conditions are safe, diving with great white sharks is a fun all-weather activity and bucket list experience. With diving tuition and surface air supply regulators, you’ll be dipped underwater in a special shark viewing platform where you’ll come eye-to-eye with some of the world’s most majestic apex predators. Tours with Shark Experience also include a scenic cruise around the Titi Islands where it’s possible to spot seals and seabirds.

For more rainy day alternatives, check out the 10 Things to Do on Stewart Island on a Rainy Day.

© Church Hill Boutique Lodge & Restaurant

Fine Dining on Stewart Island

Yes, even on the Subantarctic Island of Stewart Island, you’ll find fine dining. Join Church Hill Boutique Lodge & Restaurant for their three-course dining experience in their restaurant exclusively taking eight people per evening. Their story starts and ends with “homemade”, using only local fish, muttonbird, crayfish, etc. from the island and produce from the Southland region. Dinners are complemented with fresh homemade bread for the table and tea or coffee to finish.

Bring gourmet dining to you with the Stewart Island Moveable Feast provided by Observation Rock Lodge. Whether you’re staying at the luxury lodge or elsewhere, the team will spruce up and present gorgeous spreads of fresh and local fare from the garden and surrounding waters.