Sending flowers to Stewart Island / Rakiura

Across Foveaux Strait: ferry from Bluff, flights from Invercargill

The passenger ferry crosses Foveaux Strait from 21 Foreshore Road, Bluff, in about an hour, with two sailings a day year-round, an extra midday sailing in summer (December–April) and an extra evening one in winter (May–September). Luggage is limited to two bags per person, with extra goods only by arrangement. Stewart Island Flights also fly between Invercargill Airport and Ryan's Creek Aerodrome above Oban. Any flowers have to make that crossing, which is why we recommend:

• ordering well ahead of the date that matters;
• checking with the florist whether delivery to the island is possible at all before you pay;
• giving the recipient's phone number, so they can be contacted when the flowers arrive;
• considering a plant or hardy blooms that travel better – our flower care guide has tips the recipient can use.

Oban addresses: Halfmoon Bay, Main Road and the school

Oban had about 380 residents in June 2025. Useful landmarks for an address or a card include Halfmoon Bay School (Years 1–8, founded in 1874), Oban Presbyterian Church, built in 1904, St Andrews Anglican Church, and Rakiura Museum Te Puka o Te Waka, which moved into a new building at 11 Main Road in December 2020. The island is mild but wet: Oban gets 1,600–1,800 mm of rain a year, with mean daily temperatures from about 10 °C in July to 17.6 °C in January.

Halfmoon Bay and Horseshoe Bay cemeteries

Southland District Council lists two cemeteries on the island: Halfmoon Bay Cemetery at 13 Mapau Road, administered through the council's Riverton office, and Horseshoe Bay Cemetery at 16 Horseshoe Point Road. For a farewell on the island, ask the family how they would like flowers handled – a card with a mainland arrangement for family, or flowers sent once the service is over, can be easier than racing a ferry timetable. Our funeral flower guide has wording ideas.

If an islander is in hospital in Invercargill

Southland Hospital on Kew Road, Invercargill, is the public hospital in Southland's main city. Health NZ says fresh flowers are not allowed in the intensive care unit, high dependency unit, oncology, cardiovascular, respiratory, surgical and medical wards, or in multi-bed rooms, so check with the ward before sending – see our Southland Hospital page. If island delivery cannot be arranged, you could also send flowers to the person when they are next in Invercargill, or to family on the mainland.

The island's economy rests on fishing and summer tourism; Rakiura National Park, opened in 2002, shelters about 15,000 southern brown kiwi, and Stewart Island was accredited as a Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2019. For other towns in the south, see the Southland region.

Places flowers often go in Stewart Island

Cemeteries

• Halfmoon Bay Cemetery
• Horseshoe Bay Cemetery (Horseshoe Bay, Stewart Island)

Put the recipient’s ward, room or the funeral director’s name on the order so the florist can find them.