From Halfmoon Bay you can launch yourself onto the tracks of Rakiura National Park. It’s a fishing town, so expect fantastic seafood.
Halfmoon Bay is the only settlement on Stewart Island, New Zealand's third largest island. It’s a fishing town that also serves as a base for hikers and birdwatchers. Most of the island’s hiking tracks start here; others can be accessed by water taxi.
Birdlife is prolific – around the coast there are sooty shearwaters, mollymawks, cape pigeons and various types of penguin; while hiking inland, you’ll see and hear bellbirds, tui, fantails, kākā and many more. With a guide, you can watch kiwi feeding on sandhoppers at the beach.
There’s a range of essential shops in the town and a choice of places to eat. Functional facts: Approx. population 400, Department of Conservation Visitor Centre, ferry service from Bluff, flights from Invercargill.
