Stewart Island: Rakiura Village and Bays Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Stewart Island / Rakiura, New Zealand
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Explore the unspoiled bays of Rakiura Stewart Island on a minibus tour with a local guide. Starting from Oban village, your narrated tour covers Lee Bay, Halfmoon Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. Stop for photos of Paterson Inlet from Observation Rock, and hop off the vehicle for short walks along the hour-long route. As you can’t bring your car to the island, this is a great way to see a lot.
- Hear informative narration about the island’s history
- An ideal way to get an overview of this part of the island
- See the sights without having to hike
- The tour starts from a convenient location in Oban village
What's Included
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- Live commentary on board
- Knowledgeable guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 12 Elgin Terrace, Halfmoon Bay / Oban 9818, New Zealand
Please head to "The Red Shed" Visitor Centre 15 minutes before departure to check in.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
RealNZ
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 107 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
It was fantastic and Shona was very very good at telling us all the history on the island. It was also a perfect day with nice sunshine
Very relaxed tour with plenty of local information to take in.
Takes you to look out spots for photo opportunities
My tour was cancelled because the driver was sick but I wasn’t informed until getting there, which was a bit annoying as I took the ferry especially for the tour. Still I was moved free of charge to the Ulva Island Explorer and that tour was really good :)
With husband on a cane, walking was kinda out of the question! This tour around Oban was just the ticket! Our driver/guide was informative and charming. Several tour stops broke up the drive and, as it was a rather warm day, the van's A/C was lovely!
Great, wonderful, beautiful island, very very good guide, comfortable transportation. Would recommend
We loved hearing about the culture of the island from a local. Leah was professional yet warm. No regrets.
A very informative and interesting trip. Learned alot about Stewart Island. Would highly recommend this trip.
This tour through the villages and about 95 percent of sealed streets of Stewart Island and its bays were really great. Our guide was really informative and also funny.
Hearing a kiwi in the bush while at the beginning of walking track. Helpful and informative guide. Lots of history and stories on island life.
Super informative tour of this cute little island! I really enjoyed getting a lay of the land and appreciated the suggestions of places to check out on the island from our driver/guide.
Do did a great job of pointing out the sights and explaining the history of Oban. Despite the heavy rain, we had a great time!
We enjoyed being driven around Steward Island by Gary and Joey. Small island, but lots to see!
Good times!
Learning about the history, both Maori and European and all the things that have been put in place to protect the island and its wildlife. The views were beautiful and we were lucky with a fine weather day.
Our group was on a day trip to Stewart Island and managed to make a last minute booking for the Village and Bays Tour. The service from both the admin and operator Rhys were brilliant; a perfect balance of casual and professional. Rhys in particular provided a really informative commentary, including personal anecdotes which provided an entertaining extra layer of interest. Vale for money-wise I think the price was spot on.
Very nice tour on a very small town. Our driver was very knowledgeable. The school has only 45 students with 3 teachers for all 8 grades.
Rhys was a terrific driver a d guide. Great and interesting tour of the island. We especially loved the beautiful beaches.
Great local knowledge and easy way to get a good overview of the island. Would definitely recommend this tour
Rhys was excellent - very friendly and knowledgeable as he took us around the various sights & bays.
We were lucky to have great weather, but the best thing was our fantastic tour guide. She had a wealth of knowledge to impart. Great trip
Enjoyed the stops where we could hop off and take pics/ see the sights.
Good tour to do when arriving at the Usland for the first time.
Tour guide Rhys was informative and very enjoyable trip! Would recommend to any visitor to Stewart Island!
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Thank you very much! Rhys is an asset to the RealNZ team.
Very short bus trip only 1 hour…. Could have gotten more information about the settlement of this island
Wanted information about flora and fauna of the island
Guide Leah was good but tour was a waste of time and money
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We appreciate this feedback, Sheri. This information is extremely valuable for when we review our experience durations.
We'll be sure to pass on the kind words to Leah!
The tour leader was very informative, but the tour was very rushed, we didn’t have enough time to look around at the view points
Response from Host, Dec 2022
It's good to hear the tour leader was very informative. We apologise about the rushed feeling and will take this feedback on board. Thanks for your review.
The scenery and knowledge shared by Rhys who was our guide. We also enjoyed eating at the fish and chipper van - the young lass operating it was very friendly and explained the various menu options in a very pleasant manner.
The only downside of our trip to the island was not being able to hear the captain telling us about various points of interest and history of island etc due to the staff travelling over talking and laughing very loudly - they weren’t paying a fellow colleague the respect they should have.
Response from Host, Nov 2022
Thank you for bringing this to our attention Helen. We set high expectations for our crew to deliver an excellent guest experience, so it's disappointing to read about the downside of your trip. We will be addressing this issue to ensure it does not happen again.
Great knowledge and info on the island by Bevan. Comfortable van and fun trip. Beautiful places and just the right amount of time.
Response from Host, Nov 2022
This will make Bevans day. Thank you for exploring Oban with us, Louise.
Interesting commentator who presented a lot of facts whilst giving a good overall view of that part of the island.
Response from Host, Nov 2022
We are so grateful that you took the time to leave us a review. We'll be sure to pass this on to the Rakiura crew!
Observation point was remarkable.
Our driver was very informative and pleasant. Enjoyed the whole tour
Response from Host, Apr 2022
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We think this is a great trip to get an orientation of the island and it's good to hear what you thought of Observation Point.
Cold, wet day but we still had a great trip. the driver gave an excellent commentary with many interesting details we wouldn't otherwise have known.
This was a nice way to see a little of the island and our tour guide was very informative.
The guide was very passionate about the island and its history. It is however very short due to the lack of roads on the island. Everything fitted well with the ferry from the mainland.
Member Pricing
From
$32.48
per personWas $34.18(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Water Tours
- Nature and Wildlife Tours
- Walking Tours
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Outdoor Activities
- Private and Luxury
- Stewart Island / Rakiura
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Invercargill
- Walking Tours - Invercargill
- Water Tours - Te Anau
- Half-day Tours - Te Anau
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Te Anau
- Walking Tours - Te Anau
- Water Tours - Queenstown
- Half-day Tours - Queenstown
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Queenstown
- Walking Tours - Queenstown
More Tours in Stewart Island / Rakiura