Stewart Island
Third-largest and southernmost inhabited island of New Zealand.
Stewart Island, officially known as Stewart Island / Rakiura, is New Zealand’s third-largest inhabited island and its southernmost. It sits 30 kilometres south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Roughly triangular, it covers 1,746 square kilometres, with a 164-kilometre coastline shaped by Paterson Inlet to the east, Port Pegasus to the south, and Mason Bay to the west. The terrain is hilly—Mount Anglem reaches 980 metres—and heavily forested. The New Zealand government owns nearly all of it, and over 80 percent lies within Rakiura National Park.
Fishing and summer tourism drive the economy. As of the 2023 census, the permanent population was 486, most living in Oban on the east side. Ferries run from Oban to Bluff on the South Island. For local government, the island falls under the Southland District.
Māori settled the island in the 14th century, soon after they reached the South Island. Its original Māori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui, means “The Anchor Stone of Māui’s Canoe,” referencing the legend where Māui and his crew used the South Island (their canoe) to haul up the North Island (the fish). The common name Rakiura translates to “glowing skies,” a nod to the aurora australis. Some trace it to Te Rakiura a Te Rakitamau, or “great blush of Rakitamau,” after a chief’s embarrassment when two daughters refused his marriage proposal.
James Cook spotted the island during his first Pacific voyage in 1770. After sailing clockwise around it for five days, his crew saw Ruapuke Island at the eastern entrance of Foveaux Strait, which they had passed earlier. Cook noted an open channel but, wary of giving rivals a strategic advantage, later altered his journal and chart to show Stewart Island as a peninsula. Historians like Beaglehole and Robert McNab were baffled, finding it hard to believe Cook would deliberately mislead. G. A. Mawer, however, suggests Cook was simply uncertain, as his focus was on New Zealand’s southern extent and conditions were poor for exploring the strait.
The strait was first charted in 1804 by Owen Folger Smith, a New Yorker in a whaleboat from the sealing brig *Union*. His 1806 map called it Smith’s Straits. The island’s English name honors William W. Stewart, first officer of the *Pegasus*, who visited in 1809. He charted Port Pegasus and confirmed the island’s northern points, proving it was separate. In 1824, Stewart planned a settlement there for timber, flax, and trade, sailing to the island in 1826.
In 1841, the island became the province of New Leinster, but it existed only on paper and was abolished after five years. Under the 1846 New Zealand Constitution Act, it joined New Munster (the South Island). When New Munster ended in 1853, it fell under Otago Province, then Southland Province from 1861, until all provinces were abolished in 1876. For most of the 20th century, it was simply “Stewart Island.” The Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 made the official name Stewart Island / Rakiura.
The island spans 1,680 square kilometres. Mount Anglem, at 980 metres, is the highest point, near the north coast. Its official name is now Mount Anglem / Hananui. The southern half is more gently rolling, with a ridge running south from the Rakeahua River valley into Paterson Inlet. The ridge’s southernmost point is Mount Allen, 750 metres high. Notable granite domes called Gog and Magog rise in the south. Mason Bay, on the west, is long and sandy; some speculate it formed from a meteorite impact in the Tasman Sea, but no evidence supports this. During the Last Glacial Maximum, about 18,000 years ago, lower sea levels connected Stewart Island to the mainland. Rising seas separated it roughly 7,000 years ago.
- area
- 1,746 km² (674 sq mi)
- highest_point
- Mount Anglem, 980 m (3,220 ft)
- population_2023_census
- 486
- location
- 30 km south of New Zealand's South Island
- official_name
- Stewart Island / Rakiura
- national_park
- Rakiura National Park (over 80% of island)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Archaeology indicates that the island was settled in the 14th century, shortly after the Māori settled in the South Island. The original Māori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui, means 'The Anchor Stone of Māui’s Canoe'. This refers to the legend of Māui and his crew, who from their canoe Te Waka a Māui (the South Island), caught and raised the great fish Te Ika a Māui, the North Island. The more common Māori name, Rakiura, is usually translated as 'glowing skies' in reference to the aurora australis. For some, Rakiura is the abbreviated version of Te Rakiura a Te Rakitamau, translated as 'great blush of Rakitamau', in reference to the latter's embarrassment when refused the hand in marriage of not one but two daughters of an island chief. James Cook saw the insularity of Stewart Island during his first Pacific Voyage in 1770. After five days of sailing south/clockwise around the island, Endeavour was at the western entrance of Foveaux Strait where the crew could see Ruapuke Island, which they had passed 5 days earlier, at the eastern entrance of the strait. Cook wrote: 'they're appear'd an open Channel … we saw the small island we were in with on the 6th instant'. Zachary Hicks wrote: 'this is ye Western opening of the Passage mentioned the 6 Ins.' Nonetheless, Cook knew that an offshore island was strategically valuable to Britain’s rivals and should be hidden as a matter of military policy. He tried to erase his description of Foveaux Strait from his journal and drew a revised chart attaching the island to the mainland, turning Stewart Island into a peninsula. Like Beaglehole, another New Zealand historian, Robert McNab, was shocked by this. Neither could conceive that Cook and the Admiralty would engage in strategic disinformation/cartographic secrecy. McNab writes: 'Unless given us in Cook’s own words, it would be incredible that he could have made such a mistake.' However, G. A. Mawer argues that Cook was simply unsure whether it was an island because his focus was on finding the southern extent of New Zealand, and conditions were unfavourable for more closely exploring a possible strait. The strait was first charted by Owen Folger Smith, a New Yorker who had been in Sydney Harbour with Eber Bunker, from whom he probably learned of the eastern seal hunting. Smith charted the strait in the whaleboat of the sealing brig Union (out of New York) in 1804 and on his 1806 chart, it was called Smith's Straits. The island received its English name in honour of William W. Stewart. He was first officer on the Pegasus, which visited in 1809, and he charted the large south-eastern harbour that now bears the ship's name (Port Pegasus) and determined the northern points of the island, proving that it was an island. In 1824, he initiated plans in England to establish a timber, flax and trading settlement at Stewart Island and sailed there in 1826. In 1841, the island was established as one of the three Provinces of New Zealand and was named New Leinster. However, the province existed on paper only and was abolished after only five years.
Reader's Guide
Stewart Island / Rakiura holds significance as a site of early Māori settlement and as a key location in New Zealand's colonial and cartographic history. The controversy over James Cook's deliberate misrepresentation of the island as a peninsula highlights the role of strategic disinformation in early exploration. The island's official name was altered to Stewart Island/Rakiura by the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, reflecting the recognition of Māori heritage. Today, the island is a protected area, with Rakiura National Park covering over 80 percent of its land, and it serves as a habitat for rare species such as the kākāpō on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou. Its economy relies on fishing and summer tourism, and its small permanent population of under 500 people maintains a close-knit community centered on Oban. The island's geology, composed mainly of granite and diorites, and its rivers, including the longest, Freshwater River, contribute to its unique landscape. The traditional seasonal harvesting of sooty shearwater chicks, known as muttonbirding, continues on the Tītī / Muttonbird Islands, preserving a cultural practice of Rakiura Māori.
Did You Know?
- The original Māori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui, means 'The Anchor Stone of Māui’s Canoe', referring to the legend of Māui and his crew catching the North Island as a great fish.
- James Cook tried to erase his description of Foveaux Strait from his journal and drew a revised chart attaching Stewart Island to the mainland as a peninsula, a move historians have debated as strategic disinformation.
- The strait was first charted by Owen Folger Smith, a New Yorker, in 1804 using the whaleboat of the sealing brig Union, and was initially called Smith's Straits.
- In 1841, Stewart Island was established as the Province of New Leinster, but it existed on paper only and was abolished after five years.
- Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, 3 km west of Stewart Island, is a protected habitat for kākāpō.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Stewart Island?
Stewart Island is New Zealand's third-largest and southernmost inhabited island, sitting roughly 30 kilometres south of the South Island across Foveaux Strait. Its official dual name is Stewart Island / Rakiura, and it was previously known as New Leinster.
What does the Māori name Rakiura mean?
Rakiura translates to 'glowing skies,' a nod to the vivid aurora borealis that can be seen from the island's far-southern latitude. It forms the Māori half of the island's official name, Stewart Island / Rakiura.
How big is Stewart Island and what is its terrain like?
The island spans about 1,746 square kilometres in a roughly triangular shape, with Mount Anglem at 980 metres as its highest point. It is predominantly hilly and densely covered in native forest, giving it a wild, remote character.
How many people actually live on Stewart Island?
The 2023 census recorded a permanent population of just 486 residents, most of whom are based in the small settlement of Oban. The local economy leans on fishing and seasonal tourism rather than heavy industry.
What is Rakiura National Park?
Rakiura National Park protects over 80 percent of the island's total land area, making it the dominant land designation on Stewart Island. It safeguards the dense native forests, wetlands, and wildlife that define the island's landscape.
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