page_title: Stewart Island
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Stewart Island / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: This photo was taken out of a window on a plane to Stewart Island in New Zealand. On the photo is Lee Bay first, then Horseshoe Bay behind that, and in the back you can see the opening of Halfmoon Bay. Dansk: Dette billede er taget ud af vinduet af et fly på vej til Stewart Island i New Zealand. På billedet er Lee Bay den første bugt der kan ses, herefter Horseshoe Bay bag denne, og bagerst kan man se åbningen af Halfmoon Bay.
context_page_description: Stewart Island / Rakiura, commonly known as Stewart Island, is New Zealand's third-largest island, located 30 kilometres south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land area of 1,746 square kilometres. Its 164 kilometres coastline is deeply creased by Paterson Inlet, Port Pegasus, and Mason Bay. The island is generally hilly and densely forested. Flightless birds, including penguins, thrive because there are few introduced predators.
  Stewart Island/Rakiura is sparsely populated and its economy is dependent on summer tourism and fishing. Its permanent population was recorded at 408 people as of the 2018 census, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban on the eastern side of the island. Ferries connect the settlement to Bluff in the South Island. Stewart Island/Rakiura is part of the Southland District for local government purposes.
context_section_description: Stewart Island  has an area of 1,680 square kilometres (650 sq mi).  Its terrain is hilly and, like most of New Zealand, Stewart Island has an Oceanic climate. The north is dominated by the swampy valley of the Freshwater River. The river rises close to the northwestern coast and flows southeastwards into the large indentation of Paterson Inlet. The highest peak is Mount Anglem (980 metres (3,220 ft)), close to the northern coast. It is one of a rim of ridges that surround Freshwater Valley.
  The southern half is more uniformly undulating, rising to a ridge that runs south from the valley of the Rakeahua River, which also flows into Paterson Inlet. The southernmost point in this ridge is Mount Allen, at 750 metres (2,460 ft). In the southeast the land is somewhat lower, and is drained by the valleys of the Toitoi River, Lords River, and Heron River. South West Cape on this island is the southernmost point of the main islands of New Zealand.
  Mason Bay, on the west side, is notable as a long sandy beach on an island where beaches are typically far more rugged. One suggestion is that the bay was formed in the aftershock of a meteorite impact in the Tasman Sea; however, no evidence has been found to support such a claim.
  Three large and many small islands lie around the coast. Notable among these are Ruapuke Island, in Foveaux Strait 32 kilometres (20 mi) northeast of Oban; Codfish Island, close to the northwest shore; and Big South Cape Island, off the southwestern tip. The Titi/Muttonbird Islands group is between Stewart Island and Ruapuke Island, around Big South Cape Island, and off the southeastern coast. Other islands of interest include Bench Island, Native Island, and Ulva Island, all close to the mouth of Paterson Inlet, and Pearl Island, Anchorage Island, and Noble Island, close to Port Pegasus in the southwest. Further offshore The Snares are oceanic islands, a volcano and some smaller islets, that were never connected to the larger Stewart Island.
  Stewart Island has a temperate climate. However, one travel guide mentions "frequent downpours that make 'boots and waterproof clothing mandatory", and another guide says that rainfall in Oban, the principal settlement, is 1,600 to 1,800 mm (63 to 71 in) a year.
  Owing to an anomaly in the magnetic latitude contours, this location is well placed for observing Aurora australis.
caption: Northern part of Stewart Island, with a view over some of the bays
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