By Negotiation
14 Ayr Street, Halfmoon Bay
A once-in-a-lifetime chance to take over the island’s mechanical workshop - freehold land, buildings, business and a loyal client base in one package.
Stewart Island real estate, from the only agent who lives here
New Zealand’s southernmost property market is small, rare and unlike anywhere else. Browse every house, section and block of land currently for sale on the island - and deal with a salesperson who calls it home.
View current listings5 properties on the market right now Talk to Jeanette
Current listings
Houses, land & sections for sale on Stewart Island
This is the island’s entire market - every property currently listed for sale on Stewart Island, from bush-clad sections in Oban to a rare 2.28-hectare landholding above Halfmoon Bay.
Offers over $170,000
7 Rata Street, Stewart Island
An 850 m² bush-clad section wrapped in established native bush, within walking distance of Oban’s shops, wharf, ferry and flights.
$345,000 ONO
23 Petersons Hill Road, Stewart Island
An elevated, sunny 888 m² site above the township with sweeping views of Halfmoon Bay and Foveaux Strait - consented house plans included.
Offers over $795,000 plus GST (if any)
20 Kaka Ridge Road, Stewart Island
2.28 hectares of private, picturesque land with sea views and multiple building sites - a scale of holding the island almost never offers.
$295,000
111 Main Road, Stewart Island
A private, sunny 4,141 m² of native bush and mature macrocarpa, with a formed access track and a choice of building sites.
After something that isn’t listed?
Homes here often sell before they’re advertised. Register your interest and hear about new listings first.
Buying on the island
A market measured in single listings, not suburbs.
With roughly 85% of Stewart Island protected inside Rakiura National Park, the freehold footprint is tiny - and that scarcity shapes everything. Property here ranges from modest holiday cribs to architectural homes and bush sections, and at any moment only a handful are for sale.
When something suits you, you need to see it quickly. Because your agent lives here, viewings are arranged around the ferry and flight times that work for you - often the same day.
Browse what’s for sale
Selling your property
Local pricing knowledge. Nationwide reach.
Pricing an island property from the mainland is guesswork. Living here means knowing what actually sells, to whom, and why - street by street, bay by bay. Your listing is then marketed well beyond the island, backed by an established Southland agency, to reach mainland and offshore buyers.
And because the agent is on-island, every enquiry can be shown through promptly - no waiting for the next available crossing.
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Your agent on the island
The only real estate salesperson living on Stewart Island
Jeanette Mackay has lived on Stewart Island since 2000. For more than two decades she has been part of the community she sells in - which means viewings on short notice, appraisals grounded in what island properties really achieve, and honest advice about the practicalities mainland agents simply don’t know.
With a law degree from the University of Otago and twenty-plus years of on-island relationships, Jeanette handles residential and lifestyle sales across the island - from first cribs to significant landholdings.
1
Viewings on island time
See properties when you’re actually here - arranged around the ferry and flights, not an agent’s travel schedule.
2
Local knowledge
Sun, shelter, moorings, water, access - the details that decide island value, known first-hand.
3
Trusted connections
Two decades of island relationships with tradespeople, boat operators and neighbours - useful long after settlement.
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Professional rigour
Otago University law graduate; every transaction handled carefully and marketed through a licensed agency (REAA 2008).
Living on Stewart Island
Life at 47° south
Thinking about living on Stewart Island - or owning a holiday home here? A quick primer on New Zealand’s third island.
Oban & Halfmoon Bay
Nearly all of the island’s roughly 400 residents live around Oban, the township on Halfmoon Bay. It’s a working village - school, shop, wharf, famously friendly pub - where everything is minutes away and the national park starts at the edge of town. Almost every property for sale sits in or just above the bay.
Getting here & getting around
The ferry crosses Foveaux Strait from Bluff in about an hour; flights from Invercargill take twenty minutes. On the island, a few kilometres of road connect the bays - many households run a boat the way mainlanders run a second car. Freight barges carry building materials and the big shop across.
Why property is so scarce
About 85% of the island is protected within Rakiura National Park, so the private, buildable footprint has hardly grown in a century. Sections release rarely, houses more rarely still - and cribs are handed down more often than they’re sold. When a listing appears, it has the market to itself.
Good to know
Buying & selling here, answered
The questions we’re asked most about Stewart Island real estate - from viewings and travel to building and overseas ownership.
How do property viewings work if I don’t live on Stewart Island?
Easily - because your agent is already here. Jeanette Mackay lives on the island, so viewings are arranged around the ferry sailings and flights that suit you, often at short notice and on the same day you arrive.
That flexibility matters on an island where most buyers are visiting for a day or two: you see the property when you’re here, not when a mainland agent can next make the trip across.
How do I get to Stewart Island to view a property?
The passenger ferry crosses Foveaux Strait from Bluff in about an hour, and flights from Invercargill take around 20 minutes. Both run year-round, and a well-planned day trip is enough to view several properties.
Tell us when you’re coming and we’ll build the viewings around your travel times.
What does real estate on Stewart Island cost?
The market is small, so prices are set by scarcity rather than volume. Current listings range from bush-clad sections from around $170,000 through to a rare 2.28-hectare landholding at offers over $795,000.
Houses come to the market less often - register your interest with Jeanette to hear about new listings first.
Can I build on a Stewart Island section?
Yes - building here is well-trodden ground, but it pays to plan. Consents run through the Southland District Council, materials are freighted across from the mainland, and most homes run on rainwater tanks and septic systems, with power from the island’s own local supply.
Some sections shortcut the process: 23 Petersons Hill Road, for example, is sold with consented plans for a two-bedroom home already in place.
Can overseas buyers purchase property on Stewart Island?
New Zealand’s overseas investment rules limit who can buy residential property, and many overseas buyers need consent before purchasing (with some exceptions, such as Australian and Singaporean citizens).
The rules turn on your circumstances, so take advice from a New Zealand property lawyer early - we’re happy to point you to the right people before you fall in love with a listing.
Is Stewart Island a good place for a holiday home?
The island has a long tradition of cribs and baches, and Oban’s small size means a holiday home here sits minutes from the wharf, the pub and Rakiura National Park’s walking tracks.
Steady visitor demand - from the Rakiura Track, fishing and birdwatching - also gives owners options when the house would otherwise sit empty. Talk to us about which properties suit holiday use.
Ready to look at Stewart Island property?
Whether you’re buying a section, hunting for a holiday home, or wondering what your island property is worth, start with a conversation. No pressure, no obligation - just straight answers from the person on the ground.