Making a Rakiura Track Booking

Tucked away at the bottom of New Zealand, right down on Stewart Island, where many kiwis themselves have never ventured, is one of the Great Walks of New Zealand, namely, the Rakiura Track.

Its namesake is the Rakiura National Park that spans 85% of the island!! Its name means ‘Land of the Glowing Skies’ which is especially beautiful, given that not only is it a place renowned for spectacular sunsets and sparkly starry skies, but sometimes, the Southern Lights are visible, too, so the name also refers to the Aurora Australis. These factors, along with the abundant native birdlife down on Stewart Island make it a worthy stop on your New Zealand itinerary. If you’re a kiwi and you’ve never ventured this far south, why not now?

The Rakiura Track is one way to see the best of the island, and you’d be giving yourself probably the best chance out of anywhere of seeing a kiwi in the wild. For those not in the know, that’s our native, flightless, nocturnal bird, and there are a great many people who have never seen one, apart from at the zoo, so its something really special to get the chance to.

I did not get so lucky on my second trip to the island, despite the hut warden estimating that the odds of seeing one are probably 90% (so that’s amazing odds!) but I did see some kiwi on my first trip to Stewart Island in 2006. They’re a different sub species on Stewart Island, they’re bigger – potentially up to knee height!, and they’re bolder – it’s been known for people to see them during the day down here, and they’re just less afraid.

Enough about kiwi, although I certainly hope you see one! Without further ado, here is what you need to know if you are thinking about booking the Rakiura Track.

What Do I Need To Know About The Rakiura Track?

The Rakiura Track, like the other Great Walks of New Zealand, is a multi-day tramp (that’s a ‘hike’ if you’re not from here!) which takes walkers through Rakiura National Park. Parts of it are coastal and will have you walking down the beach, and parts of it are in the forest and will have you marvelling at the birdlife. It’s a circuit, which is really helpful, and you can start and finish from the Visitor Centre on Stewart Island, so that’s really helpful, too. 

The Rakiura Track is 32 kilometres, or 20 miles. Typically it is done in three days, two nights, and there are two Department of Conservation huts along the way (and three campsites).

Like all Great Walks, booking your spot is imperative. In-season, hut wardens maintain the track and give talks about the area, the history and the conservation efforts in the evenings.

Booking Your Huts/Campsites

The two huts that you can stay at are Port William Hut and North Arm Hut. There’s a campsite at each, Port William Campsite and North Arm Campsite, and a third campsite called Maori Bay Campsite (which is just over halfway between the start/finish of the track and Port William).

Department of Conservation Huts/Campsites

On the Rakiura Track, the huts take 24 people and the campsites take 16 people. This track isn’t as popular as some of the other Great Walks, particularly the Milford Track, but you are still likely to meet a few other walkers and there’s a good chance you will be in their company both nights if you are walking in the same direction.

It’s always worth meeting people. Travellers to New Zealand come from all over the world! Due to a friend having to cancel, I ended up walking this track solo!! But I definitely found myself amongst new friends both nights.

Tell Me About The Cooking Facilities

If you’re camping, you will have access to water and a shelter to cook in, but you cannot use the hut facilities. The campsites have fire pits and as long as there is no fire ban when you go, you are welcome to make one and cook over the fire – so bring a lighter or matches (and waterproof them!).

If you are staying in the huts, you must, like the campers, have your own means of cooking – bring a camping cooker, as there are no gas hobs.

You’ll see signage to boil all water before consuming but many people aren’t too worried, and I’m one of them. New Zealand boasts pretty clean drinking water, especially when you’re out in the wilderness.

Tell Me About The Sleeping Arrangements

If you’re planning to camp, just remember that you’ll need to carry a small tent on your back, and if you’re staying in huts, the standard at Department of Conservation huts are those plastic mattresses which you’ll be sleeping on. You’re quite far south when you’re on Stewart Island, so pack warm, especially if it’s shoulder season or winter!

Tell Me About The Toilets

Some Great Walks have flushing toilets, but the Rakiura Track is not one of them. You’ll have access to long drop toilets, and toilet paper is generally provided, but I always pack a roll just in case it’s run out. You never know!

Step One: Making a Great Walks Booking Account

Anyone wanting to book a space on a Great Walk of New Zealand first needs to have an account with the Department of Conservation Booking Service. It’s easy to signup with your email, and then you just have to make a password. Ideally you would do this ahead of the date that bookings open (which is announced each year, and typically is in late May), so that on that day, whenever that may be, you are able to get logged in and booked without fluffing around.

Some Great Walks are incredibly popular and sell out in minutes. For the Rakiura Track, your booking is probably not going to be quite so urgent, but I would still encourage you to get this step done ahead of time so that you can book quickly and efficiently.

The link to the Department of Conservation Booking Service is https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/. It is just the one site for all Department of Conservation bookings, so if you’ve made one before, use the same credentials. 

Step Two: Booking through your Great Walks Booking Account

Once you have an account with the Department of Conservation Booking Service, the next part must be done once bookings open for the season – and that’s the booking itself. The date is normally, like I mentioned, in late May, and the Department of Conservation will announce that each year. Currently at the time of writing, bookings are already open and next year’s date has not yet been announced.

The Rakiura Track, unlike some of the other tracks, is walkable year-round, and there are no dates you need to fit your booking into. However, summer is always recommended, as you have a higher likelihood of getting better weather. One leg of the track is quite muddy, so the wetter the time of year, the deeper that mud will be.

That said, if you’re after the Southern Lights, there are no guarantees that you will see them, but it’s winter when you would hope to see them.

The sun sets much earlier between April and September when we have daylight savings, so booking in between these months means you will have more time with a dark sky. That’s also more time to appreciate the beautiful starry skies that do not compete with any light pollution – they’re amazing! – and that’s more hours of darkness for the kiwi too, which is generally when they are out and about and you have a better chance of seeing them. So Stewart Island can be a good destination in shoulder or winter months, too!

Know Your Party

One of the most important details you’ll need to have sorted when you are booking is who you are going to be walking with. As I mentioned, I last-minute had to accept that I would be walking this track solo. I wasn’t fazed; it’s pretty hard to get lost on a Great Walk, and I walked in December 2021, in summer, so there were others on the track, too.

I had never hiked solo before and it was really enjoyable!! There was lots of time during the day to just think my thoughts in the quiet of the forest. (And I’m fully an extrovert, so that’s really saying something!)

Whether you’re walking alone or with others, decide if you’re booking together or all going to book your spots individually.

Know Your Dates

You’ve also got to – obviously – have it sorted when you want to go. Decide what season you’d like to walk in and consider daylight savings, how warm you’ll be, how important it is to you to have fine weather, etc. Most likely you’ll be planning to walk over three days and two nights, like everyone else, but 32 kilometres (20 miles) is obviously very doable in two days for quick walkers.

Have it on paper in front of you so you don’t get confused. If you’re booking, for example, December 9-11, you will book your huts and/or campsites for December 9th and 10th, walking out on the 11th. Obviously you won’t need a hut or campsite booking on the day you walk out. (You will have to consider whether you are staying elsewhere on the island though, or heading back to the mainland right away.)

Run Your Search

On the day that bookings open, because you already have your account sorted with the Department of Conservation Booking Service, you can be all logged in and ready to go at 09:30am, which is normally the time they pick, for bookings to open.

Refresh your browser when it’s time and use the calendar to enter your dates. Select the Rakiura Track from all the available Great Walks listed in the drop down menu, and pick if you are staying one or two nights on the track. Enter how many people are in your group and click Search. You should see some green spaces pop up.

Select Your Dates

Green spaces are good and mean there is plenty of space for you! Red spaces with an exclamation mark are not booked out, they are instead indicating that there are just a few spaces left. Plain red means that hut or campsite is booked out that night.

You’ll need to select the squares that correspond with the dates up top and the hut or campsite down the left. Click Reserve, and then all that’s left is to enter some details!

Make Your Payment

Once you’ve entered names and ages for the people in your group, it’s time to make the payment. If you are booking for the whole group, have it decided ahead of time if they are paying you back or whether they need to transfer you the money before you book. The booking service will want credit or debit card details.

Despite the Rakiura Track being walkable any time of year, there are price differences between summer, when most people tend to go, shoulder season, and winter season, which is cheaper still. Great Walks also have price differences between New Zealanders and international visitors. That’s just to incentivise us kiwis to get out and explore our own backyard. 

Each night in a hut will cost New Zealanders $44NZD 🇳🇿 ($27USD 🇺🇸) in October, November, December, January, February, March or April, and that drops to $32NZD 🇳🇿 ($20USD 🇺🇸) in May or June, and $31NZD 🇳🇿 ($19USD 🇺🇸) in July, August or September.

An international visitor will pay $66NZD 🇳🇿($40USD 🇺🇸) for each night in a hut (October to April), and that drops to the standard price of $32NZD 🇳🇿 ($20USD 🇺🇸) and $31NZD 🇳🇿 ($19USD 🇺🇸) for the colder months, as above, regardless of whether you are from overseas or from New Zealand.

If you are camping, each night at a campsite will cost New Zealanders $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸) in October, November, December, January, February, March or April, and that drops to $6NZD 🇳🇿 ($4USD 🇺🇸), for all off-season months (May-September).

An international visitor will pay $28NZD 🇳🇿 ($17USD 🇺🇸) for each night in a campsite, in-season (October-April) and it’s the standard fee of $6NZD 🇳🇿 ($4USD 🇺🇸) for any off-season month (May-September), regardless of where you are from.

Tips And Tricks

1️⃣ If cost is an obstacle for you, consider camping, as it is much cheaper, or camping one of the nights – as you can mix and match. It’s fine to do one night in a hut and one night in a tent!

2️⃣ If you are wanting to stay in huts but looking to save money, you could also opt to go in May, the last month in autumn, or September, the first month of spring. Hopefully this way the weather is not too cold but you still get the advantage of off-season prices.

3️⃣ If you have a large group all trying to get bookings in-season, I’d recommend having someone on the phone to the Department of Conservation Visitor Centre when bookings open, as you may have more success locking those in over the phone! Still feel free to have someone trying their luck on the website, and communicate with each other when you’ve had success so you don’t secure twice as many spots as you need by accident!

Cancellations and Refunds

There are lots of situations that might arise that cause you to need to cancel your booking. In some circumstances it is justified; just get in touch with the Department of Conservation by phone or email and have a chat with them about what’s happened. This page of theirs goes into detail about cancellations and refunds. 

Booking Your Transport

Yay! Now that all of that is sorted out, the next thing to think about is your transport in and out of the track. The Rakiura Track is a loop track, which means you can get to and from the Visitor Centre on foot. This is what I did, and it was easy enough.

Officially, there is a start point and an end point (but they are 7 kilometres, or 4 miles apart.) They are the Lee Bay Road end of the track, and the Main Road/Fern Gully end of the track. 

Getting In/Out of the Lee Bay Road End

The Lee Bay Road end of the track is 5 kilometres (or 3 miles) from the Visitor Centre, and that’s an hour and a half hour’s walk. It’s not too much to add that on when the total walk is only 32 kilometres (20 miles) anyway, but you can also get transport from the township of Oban to the official start point at Lee Bay.

Getting In/Out of the Main Road/Fern Gully End

The Main Road/Fern Gully end of the track is 2 kilometres (or 1 mile) from the town of Oban – that’s where the Visitor Centre is, so that’s only a half hour walk. Again, it’s not far, even if you have just finished three days on the track, so I just chose to walk it. Getting transport is an option if it feels that little bit too far though!

Operators

Below are two operators who can do transport to and from the trailheads for you.

👉🏻 Aurora Cab Company can do transfers from Oban (that’s town, where the Visitor Centre is) to Lee Bay Road, where the official trail starts or ends, and they’ll do that for $40NZD 🇳🇿 ($25USD 🇺🇸). If you’re wanting a transfer between Oban and the other end of the trail at Fern Gully, they do that for $20NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸).

These guys can also collect you from the wharf if you ferry to Stewart Island, or the flight centre, if you fly over (but it’s not far if you’re walking; it’s not a big place). Their fares can also be split amongst your group, as you’re paying the price for the vehicle, not per person.

👉🏻 Rakiura Charters and Water Taxi are another operator on the island who can do shuttle transport. Their prices start at $55NZD 🇳🇿 ($34USD 🇺🇸) but they encourage enquiries for specific pricing.

They also offer a water taxi service to either Port William or North Arm (where the huts and campsites are) so that you can walk to either end of the track, thereby doing either day one or day three of the whole walk, and only spending a day walking.

Crossing the Foveaux Strait

To get to Stewart Island, you will need to depart the South Island and cross the Foveaux Strait. You can do that by boat or by plane.

⛴️ By Boat – Departing from Bluff

The Stewart Island ferry leaves from Bluff, which is the southernmost town on the South Island. It’s a daily service and costs $110NZD 🇳🇿 ($67USD 🇺🇸) each way. You must book and you must check in half an hour early. The crossing takes an hour.

You can park your vehicle near the Bluff ferry terminal, if you have one. If you’re needing to get yourself into Bluff from Invercargill, which is our southernmost city, you can get a coach for $32NZD 🇳🇿 ($20USD 🇺🇸) each way.

I had a friend who drove me from Dunedin (where I flew in) to Bluff, and then I got a coach from Bluff to Invercargill on the way back. I did the ferry crossing as a child and was not seasick at all, but as an adult I was quite seasick and a little scared even, as the water was very choppy that day! It’s known to be quite rough even on the best of days, so if seasickness is a bit of a thing for you, may I suggest the flight? I’ve never felt so awful!

✈️ By Plane – Departing from Invercargill

If you’re flying into Stewart Island, then you’ll be leaving from Invercargill, which is our southernmost city at the bottom of the South Island. A one way ticket is $142NZD 🇳🇿 ($87USD 🇺🇸) and a return fare is $245NZD 🇳🇿 ($150USD 🇺🇸). If you have no vehicle and are getting a coach from Invercargill to Bluff just to jump on the ferry, the flight is actually going to be your cheaper option – and it’s only twenty minutes to fly over there!

Is There A Guided Walk Option?

👉🏻 Active Aotearoa offer a planning service where you will pay to have your return ferry booked, your return shuttle between Invercargill and Bluff booked, two nights in town on Stewart Island before the walk all covered, and your Department of Conservation huts covered. You’ll pay $670NZD 🇳🇿 ($411USD 🇺🇸) to do the Rakiura Track in three days, but you won’t have a guide physically with you.

👉🏻 Ruggedy Range offer the Rakiura Track package over three days and two nights. Accommodation is in the Department of Conservation huts, and all their food and transfers are provided. Options exist to add on travel to and from Stewart Island. This guided trip costs $1800NZD 🇳🇿 ($1104USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Kiwi Wilderness Walks charge $2295NZD 🇳🇿 ($1408USD 🇺🇸) for their Rakiura Track package, which includes your return flight over to the island from Invercargill, all cooking and sleeping equipment, and a night’s accommodation in Oban.

👉🏻 Just New Zealand Walks have their Rakiura Track package spanning three days and two nights, with the addition of a nights accommodation before and a nights accommodation after. They include return flights to and from Invercargill and charge $444NZD 🇳🇿 ($272USD 🇺🇸) for this.

What Will It Cost Me?

There’s a few factors at play here, but if you’re walking the Rakiura Track in-season, a New Zealander will pay between $6NZD 🇳🇿 ($4USD 🇺🇸) (for one night in the campsites, off-season) and $88NZD 🇳🇿 ($54USD 🇺🇸) for two nights in the huts, in-season. 

An international visitor will pay between $6NZD 🇳🇿 ($4USD 🇺🇸) (for one night in the campsites, off-season, and $132NZD 🇳🇿 ($81USD 🇺🇸) for two nights in the huts, in-season.

Transfers to and from each end of the trail, if you are adding those on, are likely to cost you a total of $60NZD 🇳🇿 ($37USD 🇺🇸).

A return ferry between Bluff and Stewart Island will cost you $220NZD 🇳🇿 ($135USD 🇺🇸), and with a return coach transfer to Invercargill added on ($64NZD 🇳🇿, or $39USD 🇺🇸), a total of $284NZD 🇳🇿 ($174USD 🇺🇸) would be needed for transport.

If you’d prefer to fly between Invercargill and Stewart Island, a return flight will cost you $245NZD 🇳🇿 ($150USD 🇺🇸).

The Rakiura Track is likely to cost you between $250NZD 🇳🇿 ($153USD 🇺🇸) and $500NZD 🇳🇿 ($306USD 🇺🇸) which is on the cheaper side for Great Walks of New Zealand.

Factor in food and any gear you will need, and extra nights accommodation on Stewart Island if you’d like to stay a little longer and explore the place.

You also will need to get yourself to Bluff or Invercargill in the first place, whether that be a domestic flight into Invercargill airport from elsewhere in New Zealand, or petrol costs if you are driving south.

All totalled up, if you’re after an experience doing one of our Great Walks and on a budget, this is definitely a good one to do, and if you’re after a kiwi spotting, this is probably going to get you the best chance of seeing one in the wild. Who knows, you might even catch sight of the Southern Lights, too!