Doubtful Sound and remote Stewart Island featured on RealNZ tours

Perhaps Charles Darwin would have really appreciated New Zealand’s remote Stewart Island if he had reached it.

Naturalist Darwin is best known for his Theory of Evolution, which was inspired by his time spent on Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, known for their exotic wildlife.

And Geraldine McMillan of New Zealand tourism company RealNZ said during a recent webinar that Stewart Island is also home to creatures that will be appreciated by nature enthusiasts.

“I believe Stewart Island is the Galapagos of the South Pacific,” she told webinar viewers.

Stewart Island is found off New Zealand’s South Island, with most of it a national park.

“It’s not uncommon to be walking down the main street (of an island community) and see a kiwi,” she said of New Zealand’s national bird.

Stewart Island has a particularly large population of the flightless birds.

McMillan also recalled being accompanied by a seal while kayaking off Stewart Island and “being chased down the beach by a sea lion. It is a wildlife mecca,” she said of the retreat, adding a local bird sanctuary is home to birds that show no fear of people.
RealNZ only operates on New Zealand’s South Island, which is home to Milford Sound, which dazzled author Rudyard Kipling. The tour company has Milford Sound cruises.

But McMillan also noted that it has sailings on Doubtful Sound, which she said is found in a “remote, beautiful location.”
Overnight Doubtful Sound sailings are available.

McMillan said Doubtful Sound is less known than Milford Sound but is in fact much larger. “It’s quite incredible how big it is. It’s just not world-famous because it’s not as accessible” as Milford Sound.

Doubtful Sound is three times longer than Milford Sound.

Among “incredible” Doubtful Sound wildlife are penguins, seals and dolphins, McMillan reported.

Another South Island highlight is theTe Anau Glowworm Caves, which have glittering glowworms make their home in a cave system dating back thousands of years. Their lighting can resemble “stars shining in a nighttime sky,” McMillan added.

McMillan noted that her homeland has skiing, with the Southern Hemisphere nation’s winter meaning people can ski on a day that also includes golf or wine tastings.

She said her company “has a huge commitment to conservation,” with clients able to plant trees or shrubs, helping “keeping New Zealand as beautiful as it is now for generations to come.”

Meanwhile, McMillan said her homeland’s tourism board Tourism New Zealand is increasingly promoting off-season travel. Because of its Southern Hemisphere location, New Zealand’s summer season is December, January and February.

More information can be found at RealNZ.com.