Editorial spotlight · Oban, Stewart Island
2026 Southern Cross Awards nomineeStewart Island is mostly national park and most of what you came for is on the other side of water. Rakiura Adventure runs the crossings and the wildlife: the Ulva Island water taxi into a predator-free open sanctuary, the hut transfers that make the Rakiura Great Walk workable, and skipper-led pelagic tours through the albatross, sea lion and penguin waters of Paterson Inlet.
Editorial spotlight. Rakiura Adventure is a nominee in the 2026 Southern Cross Awards. They did not pay for this page and had no say in it. We earn a commission when you book through the links here; your price is the same.
The operation
Ulva Island sits in Paterson Inlet, is predator-free and open to the public, and holds birds that most visitors to New Zealand will not see anywhere else. There is no bridge. The water taxi from Golden Bay is a five-minute crossing and the reason the island works as a half-day trip rather than an expedition.
The same operation runs the water taxis that serve Port William, North Arm, Freshwater and the other huts on the Rakiura Great Walk and the North West Circuit — which is what turns a multi-day tramp into something you can start or finish on your own terms — plus pack transport, pelagic and sealion tours, scenic coastal runs and the historic Norwegian whaling station tour. The crossings and wildlife trips run on a small, fast water taxi; the wooden launch Ranui does the town cruise and the charters.
“Punctual, flexible, and they went well out of their way over the hut transfers.”
The one to book
Five minutes from Golden Bay to a predator-free open sanctuary with no cats, no rats and birds that behave as though nobody has ever hunted them. Go across in the morning, walk the tracks, come back when you are ready.
NZ$18.41 per adult each way for one to five people, NZ$17.10 each at six or more. Children are NZ$13.15 and infants travel free. Book both legs. A separate Halfmoon Bay Wharf departure (NZ$47.35, 15–20 minutes) runs for day-trippers timing the mainland ferry.
| 1 to 5 adults, each way | NZ$18.41 |
|---|---|
| 6 or more, each | NZ$17.10 |
| Child | NZ$13.15 |
Checked against FareHarbor on October 16, 2026. Each way, from Golden Bay.
Check AvailabilityReading the prices
The figures below are the small-party rate, which is what most people actually pay.
1 to 2 adults
3 to 4 adults
8 to 9 adults
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Rates shown are for one or two adults. Larger parties pay less each. Checked against FareHarbor on October 16, 2026.
Tour · 1.5 hours · Wildlife
Stewart Island sits where the Tasman, the Pacific and the Southern Ocean meet, so one short run from Oban can turn up white-capped and Buller’s albatross, Hooker’s sea lions, fur seals, little blue penguins and four kinds of shag. The skipper is on this water every day and knows where they are this week.
| 1 to 2 adults | NZ$131.52 |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 adults | NZ$105.22 |
| 5 to 10 adults | NZ$94.70 |
| Child | NZ$68.39 |
5 min · Each way
Into the predator-free sanctuary in Paterson Inlet. The frequent, short crossing.
| 1 to 5 adults | NZ$18.41 |
|---|---|
| 6 or more | NZ$17.10 |
Tour · Fixed fare
The town and the bay from the water, one flat rate.
| Adult | NZ$52.61 |
|---|---|
| Child | NZ$26.30 |
Tour · Wildlife
Hooker’s sea lions along the coast.
| 1 to 2 adults | NZ$68.39 |
|---|---|
| Solo guaranteed | NZ$136.78 |
Tour · Coastal
An hour around the inlet and the coast: secluded coves, beaches and whatever wildlife is about.
| 1 to 2 adults | NZ$99.96 |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 adults | NZ$78.91 |
Great Walk · Transfer
The transfer that makes the Great Walk workable.
| 1 to 2 adults | NZ$94.70 |
|---|---|
| 5 to 7 adults | NZ$68.39 |
Tour · History
The whaling station in Paterson Inlet, with a walk.
| 1 to 2 adults | NZ$84.17 |
|---|---|
| 5 to 7 adults | NZ$63.13 |
Water taxis also run to North Arm, Freshwater River, Rakeahua, Bungaree, Fred’s Camp and Christmas Village huts, with pack transport available separately. Half-day and full-day scenic and wildlife charters start at NZ$210.43 for one or two adults.
Before you go
Every fare is banded by party size and the lowest number on the booking page is the eight-or-nine-adult rate. A couple pays the 1–2 band. The prices on this page are the small-party rate for exactly that reason.
Wildlife tours are priced by party size. A single traveller who wants the boat to go regardless books a “guaranteed departure”, which is priced as the whole boat; otherwise book the per-person rate and the trip runs once two or more are aboard.
Ulva Island, the hut transfers and the pelagic and wildlife tours run on a small, fast aluminium water taxi. Oban By Boat and the half-day and full-day charters run on Ranui, the company’s wooden launch.
The wharf at Ulva Island currently takes small vessels only, so only a handful of operators can land there. Rakiura Adventure is one of four that go regularly, which is why the Golden Bay crossing is so frequent.
Reviews
The water-taxi work draws consistent praise: punctual, flexible around hut and ferry timings, and willing to go out of their way when weather or walking plans change. Guests on the pelagic tour write about the skipper’s knowledge of Paterson Inlet and its wildlife, about being visited by a sea lion and a flock of white-capped albatross from a small boat, and about dusk departures timed for penguins. Several reviewers booked the water taxi first and came back for the wildlife tour.
Questions
Oban, Stewart Island. The Ulva Island water taxi runs from Golden Bay, a short walk over the hill from the township; a less frequent Halfmoon Bay Wharf departure suits day-trippers timing the mainland ferry. Boat tours leave from Halfmoon Bay.
NZ$18.41 per adult each way to Ulva Island from Golden Bay, NZ$131.52 each for one or two adults on the pelagic wildlife tour, or NZ$94.70 each for one or two adults on a Great Walk hut transfer. Checked October 16, 2026.
Every fare is banded by party size and the lowest band is eight or nine adults. A couple pays the 1–2 rate.
A predator-free open sanctuary in Paterson Inlet with birdlife you will not easily see on the mainland. No landing fee, but you need the boat.
Ulva Island from NZ$18.41 each way, the pelagic wildlife tour from NZ$94.70 a head, or a Great Walk hut transfer from NZ$94.70.
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