-
travel_explore
Southland Explore New Zealand, Australia & Fiji!tune
Experience the wonder of Rakiura/Stewart Island through one of our immersive Wild Kiwi adventuresāeach designed to showcase the islandās unique wildlife, vibrant culture, and rich history in a truly unforgettable way.
Highlights
- Guided native forest walk searching for wild tokoeka (Kiwi)
- Return sea cruise departing from central location in Oban
- Look out for marine life as the sun sets over the islands
- Complimentary hot drinks and biscuits
- Knowledgeable nature guides share their expertise on local wildlife and history
- Small group tour - max 8 per guide
Wild Kiwi Encounter
Step into the wild heart of Rakiura/Stewart Island for an unforgettable evening adventure. Your journey begins 1.5 hours before sunset with a scenic cruise around nearby islands, where youāll spot rare seabirds and marine lifeākeep an eye out for penguins, albatross, seals, and more!
As dusk settles, arrive at Little Glory Cove for a guided torchlit walk through native forest and along the beach in search of the elusive tokoeka (southern brown kiwi). With expert guides, fascinating insights, and a backdrop of starlit skies, this is a truly magical wildlife experience.
Wild Kiwi & Culture Encounter
Discover the rich heritage and natural beauty of Oneke, also known as "The Neck"āa place steeped in both MÄori and European history. As day turns to night, enjoy stories of the islandās past before setting off on a guided kiwi search through this special coastal landscape.
After your walk, relax with a warm drink inside a traditional whare (shelter), then cruise back to Oban under the stars. This experience blends culture, nature, and adventure into one memorable evening.
Kiwi Sightings: Our expert guides significantly increase your chances of spotting wild kiwi, but sightings are not guaranteed. Their rarity and unpredictability are part of what makes the experience so special.
If no kiwi are seen,$20 per person will be donated to conservation efforts at Little Glory Cove, helping protect and enhance the habitat of the tokoeka for future visitors.
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
- Adult$259.00
Authenticated ReviewsAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Showing all 9 authenticated Bookme reviews
Susanne Merkl from New Zealand wrote on 24 April 2025
Amazing experience
It was really amazing. The crew was really friendly. We did see seals, pinguins, sea lions, albatrosses and on top of that two kiwis during our walk through the forest. The kiwis were sometimes really close to us so we could see them perfectly. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Thank you
brigittem2 from Austria wrote on 06 February 2024
Awesome š
The kiwi experience was just AMAZING! Our guides Jan & Karen were awesome, they took really good care of us, gave us hot chocolate and cookies after the tour, and I really felt their energy and their knowdledge towards Kiwis. We saw, I think 5 Kiwis, the walking throught the woods was an awesome experience in the dark, we saw a lot of birds, seals and many more different kind of animals. Thank you for this amazing experience!!! <3 :)
Lukas Doerner from Germany wrote on 05 February 2024
Awesom experience
It was really a special and unique experience. We were lucky enough to see penguins, albatrosses, see lions and also Kiwis, even though the Kiwis were hard to spot und you had little time to fully lock at him longer due to the vast number of people in your group. The crew was incredible friendly and funny aswell, big thanks to Natasha and Karen, both were amazing and filled the trip with great background and MÄori story telling. The experience would have even been better if all the people in the group followed the orders to be totally quiet and not flashing around their torches.
Sina Goetzfried from Netherlands wrote on 02 December 2023
Amazing tour
I went to the kiwi encounter and luckily we had perfect weather. The two ladies explained a lot about the wild life and were very happy to answer any questions. We were even allowed to look through the white light binocular. We sadly didnt see a Kiwi but the yellow pinguin and albatross. We even spotted the Aurora Borealis and one of the Lady was so kind to send us pictures because our cameras were not good enough! Amazing experience
Copyright © 2025 Bookme Limited.
When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism's official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It's your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.
Qualmark Gold
This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.
Qualmark Silver
This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business's focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.
Qualmark Bronze
The Qualmark Bronze award recognizes a business that operates with a high level of professionalism, is mindful of its environmental impact, and is dedicated to putting customers first.
Continue with Facebook
tobiask3 from New Zealand wrote on 29 April 2025
Awsome time with mum in stuart island rakiura
Great tour with little group amazing skipper and guide .. we have seen penguins..Seals sealions and kiwis