Imagine an island three times the size of Phuket where barely 500 people live, while around 20,000 kiwis wander among forests, beaches and trails; add only a handful of roads, skies almost free of artificial light, and a largely protected landscape: you’re on Stewart Island, in New Zealand, crowned in 2026 as the “world’s quietest island” by BookRetreats’ Unspoilt Index, with a score of 94.6 out of 100.
Known in Māori as Rakiura, meaning “land of the shining skies,” it is the third-largest island in New Zealand and one of those places where human presence seems to step back to let nature take the lead. The most celebrated resident is the Stewart Island brown kiwi, or Rakiura tokoeka, which finds one of its privileged habitats here and can be spotted even during the day.
But wait for night to fall and the spectacle moves above your head. Since 2019 Stewart Island/Rakiura has been an International Dark Sky Sanctuary and to this day holds the distinction of being the southernmost international dark sky sanctuary on the planet. Light pollution is almost non-existent and, when sky and solar activity cooperate, you might even see the aurora australis light up over the ocean.
What to see and do on Stewart Island among kiwis, forests, and starry skies
If you come here seeking silence, Stewart Island is unlikely to disappoint: about 85% of the island is protected by the Rakiura National Park, a realm of native forests, remote bays, wetlands, wild shores and long trails where you can still glimpse what much of pre-human New Zealand looked like before profound changes brought by people.
Oban, perched on Halfmoon Bay, is the island’s only real settlement: from here a few moves will carry you away from houses and into ferns, nearly empty beaches and coves where the dominant sound becomes water and birds. Birdwatching is one of the island’s great experiences: kiwis are the stars, but Rakiura hosts an exceptional variety of seabirds and forest birds.
If you love trekking, the most exhilarating way to enter the landscape is to follow the Rakiura Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, which typically takes three days and traverses open coastline, forests, beaches and the sheltered shores of the Paterson Inlet. Along the route you can stay in huts or campsites and, with a little luck, even find kiwi tracks on the ground. Do not expect an always easy stroll though: rain can turn some sections into true mud corridors, an integral part of island trekking experience.
For seasoned hikers there are even tougher routes: the Southern Circuit winds through forested valleys and remote areas like Mason Bay and requires planning, backcountry experience, and the ability to cope with changing weather. Even longer and wilder is the North West Circuit, which follows much of the northern coast between dune-lined beaches, rocky headlands, forests and isolated shelters.
If you prefer the water to long treks, from Oban you can explore the Paterson Inlet by kayak, switching between small bays, vegetation-covered shores and that distinctive sense of isolation that accompanies much of the journey.
Then night arrives. Look up: the stars suddenly multiply and the sky gains a depth we’ve almost forgotten in cities; between March and September, opportunities to observe the aurora australis also increase, though, as a natural phenomenon, sightings can never be guaranteed.
Where Stewart Island is located and how to reach it
Stewart Island/Rakiura sits about 30 kilometres south of New Zealand’s South Island, beyond the Foveaux Strait, in latitudes influenced by the famous Roaring Forties, the strong westerly winds that sweep the southern hemisphere.
From Invercargill you can reach Oban by small aircraft in about 20 minutes; if you prefer the sea, a ferry departs from Bluff Harbor and crosses the Foveaux Strait in about an hour: the strait is known for sea conditions that can become lively, while the flight offers a dramatically scenic arrival over coastlines, bays and forests.
