A dream come true
If it was a stepping stone, the next step would be a very cold swim, or if you possessed incredibly long legs, the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. Stewart Island (Rakiura) at the southern extremity of New Zealand is one of her last great wilderness icons – a primordial landscape that is alluring and testing.
Popular with tourists, trampers and adventurers, it is also a magnet for Kiwi hunters, attracting over 2,000 annually. The chief draw is whitetail deer, of which there are good numbers, although trophy potential is weak compared to American whitetail, due largely to poor genetics and the harsh environment.
The only other herd is in Wanaka, main South Island, but it suffers huge pressure and is in need of better management. While considered an introduced pest by the Department of Conservation, they do offer some intrinsic value other than hunting for meat, which I consider second only
