Home of the world famous Bluff Oyster, and the oldest continuously occupied
European settlement in New Zealand. Bluff is located at the very south of the
South Island and is the gateway to Stewart Island. Stirling Point, with its famous
signpost and walking tracks, is the beginning of State Highway 1 which traverses
the length of the country to Cape Reinga in the far north.
Across the Foveaux Strait is Rakiura or Stewart Island – one of the best places to
see our native Kiwi in the wild, as well as taste the local seafood and explore
some of the country’s best walks.
Culture
Rakiura’s (land of the glowing skies) rich Maori history dates back to the 13th
Century when Maori first started visiting seasonally to harvest titi or the chicks
of the sooty shearwater. It is a practice that is still done today and if you’re
lucky you may get a chance to taste this delicacy. The island was also
referred to the Island as Te Punga o te Waka a Maui (the anchor of Maui’s
canoe) – the chain sculpture going into the sea at the entrance to Rakiura
National Park and coming up on land at Bluff symbolises this story.
Fishing
The area is renowed for its Blue Cod fishery as well as oysters and the
country’s biggest paua or abalone. But its waters are also home to the
country’s largest concentration of Great White Sharks.
