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Stewart Island (Maori: Rakiura) is the third largest island of New Zealand. It lies 30 km south of the South Island. The
island has an area of 1746 square kilometres and its permanent
population is less than 400 people.
The only town is Oban which is located at Half Moon Bay. A regular passenger ferry service runs
between Bluff and Oban. Airplane flight ply between Stewart Island and Invercargill.
A previous settlement, Point
Pegasus, once boasted several stores and a post office, and was located on the southern coast of the island. It is now
uninhabited, and is only accessible by boat or by an arduous march across the island.
Captain Cook was the first European to sight the island, but he thought
it was attached to South Island so named it South Cape in 1770. Europeans realised it was
an island at the beginning of the 19th century. It was named after Captain
William Stewart, who was
the first to chart the island in 1809.
Although some tourism, forestry and farming takes place on the Stewart Island, the main industry is fishing. Much of the
island is set aside as Rakiura National Park.
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