New Zealand's "third island". It is south of the south island and has one
township known as Oban.
Much of the rest of the island is wilderness or semi-wilderness, though it has been affected by the introduction of mammals - principally rat, possum and deer. This last has now become a small scale industry, with visitors coming specifically to hunt the deer. The lack of human interference with the island also means that it is a stronghold for the Kiwi - the Stewart Island Brown Kiwi, to be precise. A number of the offshore islands of Stewart Island are also important for the preservation of other rare New Zealand native birds.