Visits to Ulva Island can be made during daylight hours independently or with a guide - please depart Ulva Island by 6pm at the latest. Bookings are strongly advised for guided walks and water taxis. What to wear and take with you. The Ulva Island self-guide booklet makes the perfect companion if you are visiting Ulva Island independently.
From past to present, it will guide you gently around Ulva Island, showing the birds you may see, the walking tracks, all in an affordable and easy to carry booklet - available from:. Reading that Ulva Island was even more special aroused my curiosity. The best way to explore it appeared to be with one of the highly rated guided tours, so I found a telephone and rang Ulva, the woman leading the tours, and who was named after the island.
As well as being experts in the plant and bird life, Ulva and her other local guides share the history and culture of the area. Unfortunately no tours were running in the coming days - one of the few negatives of visiting out of the way places in the low season. However, she offered to arrange a water taxi for myself and a few others who had also rung her, so that we could still go there and have a look around for ourselves.
Next morning, I and a handful of others staying at the backpackers walked the ten minutes to the jetty at Golden Bay. Ulva Island sits in Paterson's Inlet, the main inlet on the east side of Stewart Island, and is a short boat ride from the jetty we were picked up from. Being transported in a small boat arranged just for us felt rather exclusive and personal, and was a good start to the trip.
Paterson Inlet from Ulva Island. The man driving the boat gave us an introduction to Ulva Island, and left us with booklets showing the walk trails on the island and other points of interest. The crew were professionally attired and knowledgeable of the land and sea. Shortly after leaving the wharf we encountered a group of dolphins including a mother and calf.
Next a large group of albatrosses arrived in the waters, and they were exciting to watch. Penguins greeted us as well. The inlet tour was gorgeous and the guide shared its history as we cruised. We disembarked at Ulva Island and we're split into small groups, each with a guide. The guide facilitated numerous bird viewings-Stewart Island robins, mohua, saddlebacks, spoonbills, kaka, kakariki, and weka. She also shared interesting facts about the flora.
Great value for price and time budgets! Would highly recommend! A nice cruise combined with an informative guide made this trip interesting and useful. They use a catamaran which tours the Inlet before stopping at Ulva Island for a 45 minute nature walk. Guide was excited about the fauna and knew a lot about the nuances of trying to keep an Island pest free for native species. Very enjoyable trip. Thoroughly enjoyed this 2. If you have limited time on Stewart Island, this trip is a great introduction to bird, plants and trees.
We saw many bird species as well as learning about the plant life, trees, orchid spotting and a short beach walk. I would love to return for more hours walking on Ulva Island as this brief trip whets the appetite for more. The crew were good, boat comfortable; this is an excellent short trip. I really enjoyed the Paterson Inlet cruise. The staff were really knowledgeable and friendly.
I learnt lots from it and got to see lots of cool birds. On Ulva island there were Robins that would jump around your feet because it's pest free so they have nothing to be afraid of. Walking tracks on the Island are well formed and well signed. Track times can be somewhat misleading as they are very generous. Whether you prefer to wander tracks and explore independently at your own pace, or if you want to gain insights, insider stories and expert spying eyes, there is an option to suit you.
For the freedom walkers, we highly recommend purchasing one of the informative Ulva Island self guiding booklets.
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