Ulva Island NZ New Zealand
New Zealand

2 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Ponant (2 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

At Post Office Bay, by zodiac from the ship anchored in the sheltered waters of Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island. The name comes from the tiny post office local families used to row across to collect their mail.
In Paterson Inlet on Stewart Island, at the far south of New Zealand. Not to be confused with the Isle of Ulva in Scotland — this one is 267 hectares with no permanent residents.
Because rats have been eradicated and constant vigilance protects that balance. Across 267 hectares lies a fragment of the world before mammals arrived, in forest that has never known the axe.
Everyone checks bags and boot soles before boarding, and nothing is left behind — not even a fruit peel. That small ritual puts you straight into the spirit of the place: here, the human is the guest.
Weka rummage through the seaweed at the landing, Stewart Island robins hop right between walkers' shoes, and higher up kaka, kakariki and rust-backed saddlebacks call to one another — birds gone from almost everywhere else.
With luck: the stocky shadow of a kiwi sometimes crosses the track in broad daylight. The privilege remains rare, but naturalist guides know the signs — a print in the sand, a probe hole in the leaf litter.
Flagstaff Point lookout is about twenty minutes return, Sydney Cove beach barely more. The further coves of Boulder Beach and West End Beach take an hour and a half and two hours respectively at an easy pace.
Rimu, totara and other native conifers rise above an understorey of ferns, orchids and deep moss. Some trees are centuries old; their roots form natural steps underfoot.
By walking slowly, stopping often and letting the silence work: it is in stillness that the forest comes alive. Guides build listening stops into the walk — a minute without a word, and the canopy resumes its conversation.
None. No cafe, no shop, no drinking water supply. Only the wooden post office hut from the late nineteenth century still stands near the jetty. Bring what you need, and take everything back with you.