Looking for a Kiwi? Go to Ulva Island
Going Ashore at Ulva Island from the Silver Discoverer
Ulva Island is one of the best places to see native birds in New Zealand. The Department of Conservation has diligently worked to keep the 270-hectare, 2-mile long island free of introduced predators like rats and rabbits that feast on eggs and baby birds. As a result, the bird life is especially diverse, and the sounds of birds calling, tweeting, and chirping in the forests are impressive. In addition, the rainforests of Ulva Island are criss crossed by a series of well-maintained trails, so exploring is fun and easy.
Ulva Island is named for the island of the same name in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Most of the island is part of New Zealand's Rakiura National Park.
Ulva Island is located less than a mile from Stewart Island, which is found about 19 miles south of New Zealand's South Island. Stewart Island can be reached via airplane from Invercargill or by ferry from Bluff. Boats take visitors from the town of Oban on Stewart Island across to Ulva. I visited Ulva Island for a half-day while on a marvelous Silversea cruise to the wild islands of New Zealand and Australia on the small Silver Discoverer expedition ship.
We saw many birds, but I was so busy listening and peering at them that I didn't get many bird photos. Our group saw birds such as kaka, saddleback, rifleman, and weka. I loved seeing my first New Zealand robin, which looked much different than our North American one.
The bird highlight of the morning on Ulva was a kiwi, which was only seen by about a half dozen of us. These flightless birds are usually nocturnal, but often are seen in the daylight on Ulva and Stewart Islands, which are two of the best places to see kiwis in the wild.
The next seven slides provide a peek at Ulva Island.
Page 2 >> Silver Discoverer in Post Office Bay, Ulva Island
Page 3 >> Trail on Ulva Island
Page 4 >> Ulva Island Varmint Trap
Page 5 >> Ulva Island Fern
Page 6 >> Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island
Page 7 >> Weka in the Woods
Page 8 >> Weka on the Beach
Silver Discoverer in Post Office Bay, Ulva Island
The Silver Discoverer sailed overnight from Dunedin and anchored in Post Office Bay in Patterson Inlet, which separates Ulva Island from nearby Stewart Island. Post Office Bay is the site of the first Post Office for Stewart Island, which was built in 1872. Although the Post Office moved to Stewart Island long ago, the house of the Postmaster is still on Ulva Island. The Postmaster raised a flag when the mail boat had dropped off mail, and visitors to Ulva can hike to the top of the hill where the flag pole was.
This spot offers good views of the island and of Patterson Inlet.
The Silver Discoverer anchored during breakfast, and we went ashore in the Zodiacs soon afterward. Since the island is so remote and gets relatively few visitors, I was pleasantly surprised at the well-maintained trails. We had about 10 hikers in our group, which was led by a very knowledgeable guide. She lived on nearby Stewart Island. Two of the expedition leaders from the ship also walked with our group.
Page 3 >> Trail on Ulva Island
Trail on Ulva Island
This trail looks like it runs into a tree, but it has a nice by-pass. Ulva Island has never been logged, so the trees are quite large, and the vegetation is as impressive as the birdlife. The forests are filled with southern rata, rimu, and kamahi, but I especially thought the ferns were amazing, with perfect fiddleheads seen on many of them.
Ulva Island is only about 2 miles long, and the trail from Sydney Cove on the eastern shore is about a 50 minute walk from West End Beach on the western shore.
Page 4 >> Ulva Island Varmint Trap
Ulva Island Varmit Trap
Although Ulva Island has been predator-free since the late 1990's, keeping it that way requires constant monitoring. We saw many traps such as this one set to capture rats, rabbits, or other varmints.
Page 5 >> Ulva Island Fern
Ulva Island Fern
Most people visit Ulva Island to see the birds, but I was very impressed with the huge ferns and trees.
Page 6 >> Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island
Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island in New Zealand
Sydney Cove Beach is on the eastern coast of Ulva Island. It's a beautiful sandy beach, and we were thrilled to find our first penguin tracks. Little did we know, but by the end of our voyage to the wild islands on the Silversea Silver Discoverer expedition ship, we would see thousands of penguins of a half-dozen species. It's always a little amusing how things are often so amazing at the beginning of a trip, but become much more familiar by the end of the voyage.
Page 7 >> Weka in the Woods
The Weka is a common example of New Zealand's many flightless birds. We saw many of them during our 16-day voyage on the Silver Discoverer, most of which were camouflaged in the woods like this one. However, we did also see them out on the beach.
Page 8 >> Weka on the Beach
As we walked back to the dock to re-join the Zodiacs for the ride back to the Silver Discoverer, this Weka was on the beach. Guess he had come along to tell us goodbye.
Our second stop on the marine expedition on the Silversea Silver Discoverer was just a short ride across Patterson Inlet to Stewart Island.
Back to Page 1 of Ulva Island Article
Ulva Island is one of the best places to see native birds in New Zealand. The Department of Conservation has diligently worked to keep the 270-hectare, 2-mile long island free of introduced predators like rats and rabbits that feast on eggs and baby birds. As a result, the bird life is especially diverse, and the sounds of birds calling, tweeting, and chirping in the forests are impressive. In addition, the rainforests of Ulva Island are criss crossed by a series of well-maintained trails, so exploring is fun and easy.
Ulva Island is named for the island of the same name in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Most of the island is part of New Zealand's Rakiura National Park.
Ulva Island is located less than a mile from Stewart Island, which is found about 19 miles south of New Zealand's South Island. Stewart Island can be reached via airplane from Invercargill or by ferry from Bluff. Boats take visitors from the town of Oban on Stewart Island across to Ulva. I visited Ulva Island for a half-day while on a marvelous Silversea cruise to the wild islands of New Zealand and Australia on the small Silver Discoverer expedition ship.
We saw many birds, but I was so busy listening and peering at them that I didn't get many bird photos. Our group saw birds such as kaka, saddleback, rifleman, and weka. I loved seeing my first New Zealand robin, which looked much different than our North American one.
The bird highlight of the morning on Ulva was a kiwi, which was only seen by about a half dozen of us. These flightless birds are usually nocturnal, but often are seen in the daylight on Ulva and Stewart Islands, which are two of the best places to see kiwis in the wild.
The next seven slides provide a peek at Ulva Island.
Page 2 >> Silver Discoverer in Post Office Bay, Ulva Island
Page 3 >> Trail on Ulva Island
Page 4 >> Ulva Island Varmint Trap
Page 5 >> Ulva Island Fern
Page 6 >> Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island
Page 7 >> Weka in the Woods
Page 8 >> Weka on the Beach
Silver Discoverer in Post Office Bay, Ulva Island
The Silver Discoverer sailed overnight from Dunedin and anchored in Post Office Bay in Patterson Inlet, which separates Ulva Island from nearby Stewart Island. Post Office Bay is the site of the first Post Office for Stewart Island, which was built in 1872. Although the Post Office moved to Stewart Island long ago, the house of the Postmaster is still on Ulva Island. The Postmaster raised a flag when the mail boat had dropped off mail, and visitors to Ulva can hike to the top of the hill where the flag pole was.
This spot offers good views of the island and of Patterson Inlet.
The Silver Discoverer anchored during breakfast, and we went ashore in the Zodiacs soon afterward. Since the island is so remote and gets relatively few visitors, I was pleasantly surprised at the well-maintained trails. We had about 10 hikers in our group, which was led by a very knowledgeable guide. She lived on nearby Stewart Island. Two of the expedition leaders from the ship also walked with our group.
Page 3 >> Trail on Ulva Island
Trail on Ulva Island
This trail looks like it runs into a tree, but it has a nice by-pass. Ulva Island has never been logged, so the trees are quite large, and the vegetation is as impressive as the birdlife. The forests are filled with southern rata, rimu, and kamahi, but I especially thought the ferns were amazing, with perfect fiddleheads seen on many of them.
Ulva Island is only about 2 miles long, and the trail from Sydney Cove on the eastern shore is about a 50 minute walk from West End Beach on the western shore.
Page 4 >> Ulva Island Varmint Trap
Ulva Island Varmit Trap
Although Ulva Island has been predator-free since the late 1990's, keeping it that way requires constant monitoring. We saw many traps such as this one set to capture rats, rabbits, or other varmints.
Page 5 >> Ulva Island Fern
Ulva Island Fern
Most people visit Ulva Island to see the birds, but I was very impressed with the huge ferns and trees.
Page 6 >> Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island
Sydney Cove Beach on Ulva Island in New Zealand
Sydney Cove Beach is on the eastern coast of Ulva Island. It's a beautiful sandy beach, and we were thrilled to find our first penguin tracks. Little did we know, but by the end of our voyage to the wild islands on the Silversea Silver Discoverer expedition ship, we would see thousands of penguins of a half-dozen species. It's always a little amusing how things are often so amazing at the beginning of a trip, but become much more familiar by the end of the voyage.
Page 7 >> Weka in the Woods
The Weka is a common example of New Zealand's many flightless birds. We saw many of them during our 16-day voyage on the Silver Discoverer, most of which were camouflaged in the woods like this one. However, we did also see them out on the beach.
Page 8 >> Weka on the Beach
As we walked back to the dock to re-join the Zodiacs for the ride back to the Silver Discoverer, this Weka was on the beach. Guess he had come along to tell us goodbye.
Our second stop on the marine expedition on the Silversea Silver Discoverer was just a short ride across Patterson Inlet to Stewart Island.
Back to Page 1 of Ulva Island Article
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