Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
clared rat-free in 1997 and three years later was chosen as the site to release endangered
South Island saddlebacks. The air resonates with the song of tui and bellbirds, which share
their island home with many other birds including kaka, weka, kakariki and Rakiura
tokoeka/kiwi.
There are also plenty of seabirds, including blue penguins, shags, mollymawks, prions,
petrels and albatross, as well as the sooty shearwater, which is seen in large numbers during
breeding season.
Exotic animals include two species of deer, the red and the Virginia (whitetail), which
were introduced in the early 20th century, as were brush-tailed possums, which are now nu-
merous throughout the island and destructive to the native bush. Rakiura also has NZ fur
seals, NZ sea lions, elephant seals and, occasionally, leopard seals that visit the beaches and
rocky shores.
Beech, the tree that dominates much of NZ, is absent from Rakiura. The predominant
lowland bush is podocarp forest, with exceptionally tall rimu, miro, totara and kamahi form-
ing the canopy. Because of mild winters, frequent rainfall and porous soil, most of the island
is a lush forest, thick with vines and carpeted in deep green ferns and moss.
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Information
WHEN TO TRAMP
It is possible to tramp year-round on Rakiura. At the summer solstice there are 17 hours of
daylight; in winter this decreases to about nine.
WHAT TO BRING
Pack a stove for use in the huts. Also pack gaiters, to help combat the mud, although it's
probably best that you accept that your boots will never be the same again.
A personal locator beacon is also highly recommended and available from the National
Park Visitor Centre in Oban.
MAPS & BROCHURES
The National Park Visitor Centre holds maps specially tailored to the Rakiura and North
West Circuit tracks. As well as DOC's brochures
Rakiura Track
and
North West and South-
ern Circuit Tracks,
obtain the excellent
Rakiura Short Walks
brochure, which details 13
shorter adventures you might like to fit in around longer tramps.
INFORMATION
