Recreational trips
Have you got a sense of adventure and the desire to step out of your comfort zone? Then get ready for the trip of a lifetime. Let Southern Charters take you into areas you may have never been before, and experience unrivalled scenery that will take your breath away.
This is exactly what you can expect when you plan a recreational trip through Southern Charters with your friends and family.
What can we do on a recreational boat trip with Southern Charters?
Southern Charters prides itself on providing a customised package to suit your individual requirements. We can take you, your friends and your family on an exploratory journey to several different locations around Bluff, Stewart Island, and beyond. The best part is? You can choose those locations.
See birdlife in its natural habitat, or why not get your camera out for the marine life that call the area home? There’s a first for everything, and we can’t wait to show you the many different photo opportunities right here on our doorstep. Do you have a family member who’s particularly difficult to buy gifts for? Why not treat them to a sight-seeing trip that’s new and exciting? The options are endless.
Bird watching and shark sighting
There’s more to Southern Charters than getting you from A to B. Our means of transport also enables us to show you unaltered scenery in the flesh. From sharks swimming around the boat, to stunning birdlife and creatures in their natural habitat, it’s a sight to behold.
Don’t forget to bring your binoculars and camera, and be prepared to get some incredible shots.
Ruapuke Island
If there’s one island worth visiting, it’s Ruapuke Island. Just 15 kilometres southeast of Bluff, this beautiful island comprises 16km of uninhabited land with nothing but bird and sea life for company.
Captain James Cook was the first European to discover this island which became known as ‘Bench Island’. However, it’s more commonly known as Ruapuke Island which means ‘two hills’.
Guarding the eastern end of Foveaux Strait, there is more to Ruapuke Island than meets the eye.
It has been the site of several shipwrecks in the 19th century, but with minimal loss of life. It was then used to farm sheep for several years, but now sits uninhabited and strikingly beautiful.
It’s owned by descendants of Tuhawaiki and is renowned for its birdlife and as a breeding ground for the endangered yellow-eyed penguin.
If you’re lucky, you may even spot a whale making its way past the island during the seasons of migration.
Dog Island
On a clear day, visitors making their way to Bluff can clearly spot the one landmark Dog Island is known for; its lighthouse. It’s a curious sight, and one which has been the constant talk of the town since the 19th century.
Unbeknownst to many, Dog Island, a small unimposing island, is home to the tallest lighthouse in New Zealand.
Out of all the potential spots, Dog Island was chosen for the 36-metre-tall lighthouse due to its premium level of panoramic views. It finally became operational in August of 1865 after a mammoth construction effort and was manually operated every hour by three lighthouse keepers and their families.
Tragedy struck in 1883 with the death of a lighthouse keeper falling down the central shaft. Three families turned to one, and by 1989 the lighthouse became automated. Since then, the island has been completely uninhabited and is not open to the public.
The future is looking bright for Dog Island. Not only is the island uninhabited by humans, but it’s also free of introduced mammalian predators as well.
As such, the Dog Island Motu Piu Charitable Trust aims to work on heritage preservation and public education in order to preserve the island in its current state. This includes the eventual introduction of native species, back to the island which is rightfully theirs.
If you wish to get up close and personal with Dog Island, see a beautiful lighthouse and even spot southern right whales, Southern Charters can help. Although we can’t provide you with entry to the island, we can deliver fantastic photo opportunities that the general population miss out on. This in itself is priceless.
Contact us for more information, or to customise your recreational day trip experience.