Getting to the start of the Rakiura Track

The Rakiura Track can be walked in either direction, starting from two locations:

• The official entrance to Rakiura National Park at Lee Bay, 5 km from Oban. If walking from the DOC visitor centre in Oban, turn right and walk down Main Road. Turn left into Elgin Terrace, past the supermarket, and up the hill. Follow this main coastal road over a series of hills to Horseshoe Bay, then on to Lee Bay.
• The Fern Gully car park, 2 km beyond the Rakiura National Park Visitor Centre, which is located on Main Road in Oban.

If you prefer not to walk from Oban, shuttles can be used for drop-offs at Lee Bay or water taxis can be used for access to Rakiura Track huts. 

Access to North Arm hut by boat is dependent on tides.

Getting to Stewart Island/Rakiura

To get to Oban, the only township on Stewart Island/Rakiura, you can take a 20-minute flight from Invercargill or a 1-hour ferry trip across Foveaux Strait from the southern port of Bluff. In Oban you’ll find accommodation, supplies, equipment hire and transport to and from the start of the track.