Stewart Island
Stewart Island (Maori: Rakiura) is the third largest island of New Zealand. It lies 30 km south of the South Island. The island has an area of 1746 square kilometres and its permanent population is less than 400 people.
The only town is Oban which is located at Half Moon Bay. A regular passenger ferry service runs between Bluff and Oban. Airplane flight ply between Stewart Island and Invercargill.
A previous settlement, Point Pegasus, once boasted several stores and a post office, and was located on the southern coast of the island. It is now uninhabited, and is only accessible by boat or by an arduous march across the island.
Captain Cook was the first European to sight the island, but he thought it was attached to South Island so named it South Cape in 1770. Europeans realised it was an island at the beginning of the 19th century. It was named after Captain William Stewart, who was the first to chart the island in 1809.
Although some tourism, forestry and farming takes place on the Stewart Island, the main industry is fishing. Much of the island is set aside as Rakiura National Park.