Rakiura Track emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 111 and PLBs

Emergency numbers

Mobile coverage on Stewart Island is limited to Oban, so carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) and use it only in a life-threatening emergency. You can hire one, with a gear locker, at the Rakiura National Park Visitor Centre on Main Road in Oban (Mon–Fri 8:30–16:00, Sat 9:15–14:15). Texting 111 works only for deaf or speech-impaired users who have registered. Leave your plans with someone at home, sign every hut book and check the NIWA forecast for Rakiura National Park before you start.

Rules to know

• Every hut and campsite night must be booked with DOC in advance, all year round; you can stay at most 2 nights in each. Without a booking you may be charged a penalty or turned away. Backcountry Hut Passes, hut tickets and the DOC Campsite Pass are not valid.
• Hut fees 2026/27 per adult per night: NZ$44 for New Zealanders and NZ$66 for international visitors from 1 October to 30 April; NZ$38 for everyone in May and June and NZ$31 from July to September. Campsites cost NZ$19 (NZ) or NZ$28 (international) in summer and NZ$6 from May to September. Proof of eligibility is needed for NZ rates.
• Camp only at the three DOC campsites (Māori Beach, Port William and North Arm, 4 tent sites each). Campers cannot use hut facilities but have a cooking shelter, water tank and toilet.
• Huts have no gas cookers, lights or toilet paper: carry a stove, fuel, a torch and toilet paper. Tank water is untreated: boil it, because high rat numbers can contaminate it. Keep food in a rodent-proof bag.
• Mud: between Port William and North Arm the mud can go above boot height after rain, in stretches up to 500 m long. Wear sturdy boots and gaiters and consider poles. On day 1, Little River and the creek at Maori Beach are easier at low tide; use the bridges at high tide.
• Weather: wind, hail and heavy rain can arrive at any time of year, and the bunk rooms are unheated. Carry full waterproofs, warm layers and a spare day of food in case weather delays you or the ferry.
• Wildlife: keep at least 20 m from New Zealand sea lions on the beaches, do not feed any wildlife, and use a red light and no flash when looking for kiwi at night.
• No dogs and no drones without a DOC permit. Parts of the track cross Māori land and access is by courtesy of the owners: keep to the track. Deer hunters are active on the island all year.
• Fishing and shellfish gathering are restricted in the Paterson Inlet mātaitai reserve and the Ulva Island marine reserve; ask the visitor centre for the rules.
• Transport: the ferry from Bluff takes about 1 hour and flights from Invercargill about 20 minutes; both can be cancelled in bad weather. Shuttles run from Oban to Lee Bay (5 km), and water taxis serve the huts (North Arm only at suitable tides). The island has one ATM, open in shop hours only, that does not take non-New Zealand cards.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and first aid

The Stewart Island Health Centre in Oban is a nurse-led clinic, open 10:00–12:30 every day, with rural nurses on call 24/7 for 111 emergencies; a GP visits only every second month and overseas visitors pay. For medical advice when it is not an emergency, call Healthline on 0800 611 116 (free, 24/7).

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies:
• ATMs: Oban
• Shops:
• Ferry, flights and water taxis:

There is no pharmacy on Stewart Island, and New Zealand has no duty-pharmacy rota. Buy your medicines, a blister kit and insect repellent in Invercargill before you cross; the health centre in Oban can help with minor injuries and repeat prescriptions. The huts have no power: carry a power bank.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.