Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Day 3: Port Craig Lodge to Rarakau Car Park
6-8 HOURS, 20KM
After leaving the lodge the track enters the bush near the old school, before winding through
large stands of podocarp forest and over a series of bluffs. It used to be possible to follow
the coast around this section, but what the sea wants the sea shall have, and coastal erosion
now makes the coastal route impassable, even at a very low tide.
After about 1¾ hours, the track emerges onto the coastline at
Breakneck Creek
. From
here it climbs over the headland before dropping back to the coast again at Blowholes
Beach.
At the end of the beach a post marked with a fishing buoy indicates the track over another
headland to the next beach. The track leaves this beach and enters one final small cove be-
fore climbing back up onto the coastal terrace and past the junction of the track to Okaka.
Continue to the swing bridge over
Flat Creek
and retrace your steps from day one back to
Track Burn and on to Rarakau car park. It's about two hours to the car park from Track
Burn.
STEWART ISLAND/RAKIURA
The southernmost part of NZ and its 'third' island, Stewart Island/Rakiura is remote, com-
prising vast tracts of wilderness and populated by just several hundred people and a
lot
of
birds, including the national icon, the kiwi.
Around 85% of the 1722-sq-km island was gazetted as Rakiura National Park in 2002. It
is bounded by 755km of coastline, punctuated by long beaches, impressive sand dunes and
crystal-clear bays fringed by lush rainforest. The interior is mostly bush, broken up by steep
gullies and ridges, several of which emerge above the bushline. The highest point on Stew-
art Island - Mt Anglem/Hananui - is only 980m and sees the occasional dusting of snow.
Add fascinating human history to this sleepy and unique end-of-the-line island, and
you've got a fine prospect for trampers. There are more than 280km of tracks, and while
much of it is quite challenging - with indecisive weather and widespread mud being notable
features - the birds, views and peacefulness are ample rewards.
History
Rakiura, the Maori name for Stewart Island, means 'land of the glowing sky', referring per-
haps to the aurora australis (Southern Lights), which is often seen in this southern sky, or
