What should you pack for Stewart Island?

What to bring to the island

A suitcase stuffed with clothing

Planning ahead makes all the difference when visiting a remote island such as Rakiura / Stewart Island. While the island caters for the essentials there are somethings which can be both hard to come by and outright annoying if you need them.  A bit of extra preparation will ensure your stay is comfortable and stress-free. Before you head off, double-check your bag for the following must-haves:

Medications and special food

There is no pharmacy on the island so if you need your gout meds (the seafood here is too good to miss), or any other personalised medications then make sure to pack them.  There are some items such as pain / fever medications at the local 4 Square store, and you can pick up some excellent natural balms for aching muscles and sandfly bites from local stores but make sure you have enough prescribed medications for the duration of your stay.

Underwear

Yes, we usually wear it on the island, but underwear isn't actually sold here.  Glowing Sky can supply you with warm and toasty merino long-johns but for ‘smalls’ you are out of luck.

Technical gear

Coming to the island to write up that murder mystery, take award winning photographs, or just to pretend that you are still in the office?  Bring all the cables, memory cards, camera batteries that you require.  If you are here long enough you can purchase them and have them shipped over but that kiwi is not going to hang around waiting on you to get a memory card. 

As an aside, Rakiura can be loosely translated as the land of glowing skies (see more about the origin of the name on the Stewart Island Promotions Page ) and if you are lucky your visit may coincide with an appearance of the Aurora Australis or, at the very least with a stunning sunrise or sunset.  You cannot rent or buy tripods on the island so if you are a keen photographer don’t forget to pack it (along with the correct tripod plate).  Photographers staying with us have access to tripods. 

Outdoor gear

The island is a place for adventures – whether that is hiking, diving, fishing charters or bird watching.  Make sure that you bring all of the gear that you will need (note that most fishing charters have their own equipment). 

Lastly, a friendly reminder – there are baggage limits for both the ferry and flights.  It pays to check these before you leave home.