Ulva Island Explorer: A Scenic Cruise and Walking Tour From Stewart Island
4.9
61 Ratings
Visitor Terminal - Stewart Island Experience

Embark on a scenic cruise around Paterson Inlet and take a walking tour in the bird sanctuary of Ulva Island. Explore hidden coves, unspoiled beaches, and spot wildlife like fur seals and penguins.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Stewart Island / Rakiura - Discover Stewart Island from the water on a leisurely cruise of beautiful Paterson Inlet and a guided walk in Ulva Island Wildlife Sanctuary where you will learn about the landscape and history of the island
What's Included
  • Catamaran cruise and island tour
  • Live commentary on board
  • Local guide
  • Picnic lunch (must contact operator directly after booking to purchase)
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST)
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Embark on a relaxed expedition around Paterson Inlet and a 45-minute guided walk around the bird haven of Ulva Island. The 2.5-hour journey begins from Stewart Island and features a trip to the historical whaler’s station at Prices Inlet as well as the secluded bays and pristine beaches of Paterson Inlet. Enjoy engaging narration from your guide…

Location
Visitor Terminal - Stewart Island Experience
Please check in 20 minutes prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(61 Ratings)
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Judwil61
Apr 24, 2024
A wonderful trip on a beautiful day - I can't speak highly enough of the crew who took us over and our outstanding guide Natasha. She clearly loves the fauna and flora of the island and shared her knowledge and passion with us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Long
Apr 19, 2024
太棒了! - My kids just live this trip! Such a beautiful place to explore and our guide just amazing! 非常值得的一次旅游,美丽的小岛和沙滩,丰富的自然景观和野生动物植物,导游的解说也非常棒,我的孩子说他们上了一堂生动的自然课!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Knefknok
Mar 15, 2024
Bob - We had a beautiful day, saw many birds and also walked past the sea lions. Favorite bird is Bob, a fairly tame bird. Maybe you just have to find the right staff, but we had nice staff. They had passion and humor, which can make or break an excursion. I personally found the boat trip less interesting, as it was mainly about the birds. Maybe the ocean was favorable, our boat trip was fine (not sick).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adrianl277
Mar 12, 2024
Enthusiastic staffs & a fantastic introduction to Stewart Island - I joined two tours during my one day visit to Stewart Island. The Stewart Island Village & Bay Tours is a simple bus tour around the Island with road access and the driver, which doubled as our tour guide, was wonderful. Sorry I did not catch his name as I am not used to his New Zealand accent. He lived in Bluff with his wife and commuted to the Island for work. He shared many interesting tidbit about the Island and for those with limited mobility, this tour is excellent way to explore the Island without worrying about the walking and lack of concrete road access. Then I took the Ulva Island Explorer afternoon tour, and both tour guides gave us excellent commentary about the Ulva Island and both girls were lovers of nature and Stewart Island. They genuinely showed their love for conservation and showing us all those special birds. The weather was really nice during my day visit, which made the tour even more pleasurable. For first time Stewart Island visitors, RealNZ offers excellent tours that gives you a good idea about the Island and the guides are knowledgeable enough to give you good feedbacks on what to do if you are staying for more than a day. The only thing is that I hope they can coordinate the schedule a bit better with Stewart Island Flight, so I did not have to sit in the waiting room of the Stewart Island Flight depot for an hour or so. The Island sort of went into a break after 4pm before the dinner service began.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mart888
Mar 3, 2024
Great trip from Stewart Island - What a great trip. A boat journey with a great commentary and interesting things to see. The walk on the Island was amazing with knowledgeable guides. We saw some great wildlife, and learnt so much about NZ flora and fauna. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kelsofly
Mar 2, 2024
Epic Avian Adventure - My parents and I visited Stewart Island for a couple days, and both RealNZ tours we did were truly amazing. We were fortunate enough to have the incredible Karen as our guide (but all the other guides seemed pretty cool too), and her passion for what she does, and the beautiful environment we were visiting, was clear. I've lived in NZ for 10 years, but learned so much on Ulva Island about our native species. We got to see an incredible variety of birdlife and spend time just taking everything in. The highlight was seeing mohua/yellowheads and sea lions on the beach (and Karen's bravery ensuring the stroppy male sea lion stayed well away from the group). Highly recommend this tour! You'll gain so much knowledge and walk away happy with a few hours incredibly well spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary
Feb 21, 2024
Ulva island - Many thanks for the great day. Thanks to the skipper for the boat ride, Sarah and Jan for the tour on the island. It was great to see the seals and Mick for his strong 💪 getting us on and off the boat ☺️
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Pam
Jan 15, 2024
Amazing experience! - Natasha was an amazing guide! So full of knowledge and passion!! We had an excellent experience and would highly recommend it to anyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurie_b_va
Jan 13, 2024
Lovely tour to see new birds - Lovely trip to learn more about Stewart Island and then Ulva. Levin was a great guide that gave us so much information before we even got to Ulva. On land, we saw wonderful birds and learned about their behavior and habits. Levin helped us find parrots and riflemen and helped us hear the calls of many others. We covered the beach and saw tracks from sea lions. This was a great day out and I certainly could have spent even longer on Ulva.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jabariu18
Mar 16, 2024
Loved to death - Beautiful island, lovely walk, great guides, but virtually no birds. Same thing happened here as other tourist destinations. It’s been loved to death. We were there on a Friday and there were people everywhere. Better birding in Oban, as they have been doing extensive pretty control. Saw parrots, parakeets, robins, saddle backs and even Kiwi while just wandering around away from the CBD. Try the rugby field at dusk. Save your money for the pub. Food and drink is amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
March 2025
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