Making the most of Oban Stewart Island
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships anchor at Patterson Inlet and tender at Golden Bay which is a third of a mile walk from town. The first part of this walk is a steep hill. The town is very small with a few restaurants, stores, and a small museum. There is a Post Office at the bottom of Ayr Street. The tour office by the wharf rents bicycles and scooters. The main activity is hiking.
You might not realize that New Zealand has a third island: Stewart Island. It hangs beneath the South Island and is just about the last inhabited place before Antarctica. The island itself is only about four percent inhabited, and that is its attraction. It is an unspoiled piece of primeval New Zealand. Oban is a very small town, about 800 inhabitants.
Getting around
Oban is located on Half Moon Bay and presents a vista of picturesque bays and coves. Houses nestle amid lush vegetation. The few buildings of the "Commercial Sector" are all within a five minute walk of the wharf, and each other.
Local Tours
Money
The New Zealand dollar is used in New Zealand. A few traders do accept foreign currency, particularly in tourist destinations. The;conversion from US dollars to NZ dollars is approximate US$1=NZD1.30.