Glendaruel Bed & Breakfast — Hotel in Stewart Island / Rakiura Community

Glendaruel Bed & Breakfast provided restful, relaxing and comfortable accomodation during my eight night stay on Rakiura Stewart Island in January 2023. This guest house is peaceful, charming and idyllic, providing comfortable accomodation at the end of each day made up of hiking, swimming, fishing, cycling, and organised tours. ||||I had a single room. At first I thought the single bed might have been too small for me, as I am quite tall at 188cm (6ft 2). However, it was in fact extremely comfortable and I slept very well here. Do be aware the bed in the single room is quite creaky and if you move around a lot while sleeping it might disturb your sleep. Because I keep quite still when sleeping it was fine for me. However, I would have been happy with the double room as well (for one), though it is more expensive. The ensuite bathroom was compact, with an excellent power shower. When I booked, thought the room had a bath tub in it, but it didn't. Moreover, the shortage of water on the island would made me reluctant to use one even if there was a bath available. ||||The breakfast was tasty, a full range of cereals (which I don't eat usually low to my low sugar diet) and Raylene, the hospitable host and owner of Glendaruel prepared a full cooked breakfast every morning. I mainly had eggs and tomatoes on toast, though bacon was available (which I avoided due to my minimal meat diet). ||||There was a spacious second floor lounge (living room) with sublime views across to Paterson Inlet and a good collection of books. It was relaxing sitting there, watching the changing weather fronts roll in across the sea (although it was generally fine all the time while I was on the island). ||||The island is beautiful, what much of Aotearoa New Zealand must have been like before widespread European colonisation. With its forests, sparkling blue seas and prolific bird life the island is one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand (alongside the Milford Track and Aoraki Mt Cook) I've been too. ||||Practically the main challenge on the island was finding readily available inexpensive nutritious food. There is only one restaurant open to the public on the island, at the South Sea Hotel. The food there was mainly of the deep fried variety, it was almost always booked out and extremely expensive. There was no other choice. I phoned the Church Hill Boutique Restaurant, as all brochures (and internet sites) available on the island indicated it was open, only to be rudely told they only catered for guests in their hotel. The staff at the Kai Kart were rude and unfriendly. I went there for lunch on one occasion only to be told I couldn't have a fish burger just as the cook was handing one over to the local ambulance driver. Produce at the 4 square supermarket was old and often rotten, they would sell 3 day old stale ham and cheese sandwiches and give customers mean looks if they tried to look for any fresh options. The only decent cafe on the island, the Snuggery, was closed most of the time I was there. If it was open I would have just bought a few extra hollumi sour dough sandwiches from them and kept them for dinner (they weren't open in the evening). The overrated Fin and Feather Eatery was only open two nights a week and charged $70 for a small 3 course dinner. The precarious food situation would only be noticeable if staying anymore than 3 or 4 days. The best dinners I had on the island were when Raylene invited me to join her for two delicious home cooked meals on two evenings. Given the dreadful state of food available elsewhere on the island I would have happily paid her $50 for her dinners on a nightly basis! ||||I also found many of the island residents to be less than friendly and/or unprofessional. There was one who muttered obscenities at me while waiting for a ferry to Ulva Island. The ferry captain himself was rude, impatient and only seemed to want our money. Numerous signs dot the island warning people not to venture on to private property (fair enough, but given the lack of footpaths this could inadvertently happen), including some which are extremely troubling. The staff in the only restaurant were variable, from the friendly American maître de to the downright hostile New Zealand waitress. The owner of one tour company assumed I was on a cruise ship, only on the island for a day, and was condescending, impatient and unhelpful. She tried to change her tune when I told her I was on the island for 8 days, but by then I was out the door. The women who sold me a tour for a harbour and inlet cruise at another operator, appeared on the same trip and proceeded to spend the morning drinking and smoking on deck with her friends (I was shocked this was allowed on an NZ tourist vessel). I went out fishing with a really friendly and kind fisherman, and although we had a fantastic time there was no health and safety briefing and no sign of life jackets anywhere. It's not as if we weren't given them, there didn't seem to be any at all on the boat! The impression I got is that tourists on Stewart Island were tolerated but not really welcome. ||||Rakiura Stewart Island is beautiful for its natural environment. Ulva Island, the Rakiura Track (of which I did two sections) and other expeditions across exceptional landscapes and seascapes are amazing. However, there's not much in Oban township and I recommend staying there as briefly as possible. Given the dire food situation on the island then self catering is probably a good idea for a stay any longer than a few days. I had friends staying at the Backpackers which had a great vibe and an excellent kitchen and dining room where people would hang-out. Because of the limited food options on the island I probably will not return until it improves, even if that could be many decades away. However, Rakiura Stewart Island is well worth a visit, and Glendaruel Bed & Breakfast is an ideal, tranquil and beautiful place to stay when...

Raylene Waddell's home on Stewart Island is a very special place to stay. Located about 400m up from Half Moon Bay and 300m up from Golden Bay (both with good beaches) her home is ideally located. It is about a ten-minute walk into Oban with its handful of coffee shops, single supermarket and places to eat. Ray collected us from the ferry terminal and drove us and our bags to her home. Our room was a reasonable size with a comfortable double bed, a separate bathroom and ample storage space. We had access to a large sun terrace and lounge - filled with interesting books and magazines. The house is surrounded by a delightful garden - full of colour and bird song. Ray is a fabulous host. Breakfast was anything we wanted, and her knowledge of the island helped us with various trips about what to do and where to walk. The other guests had been fishing and caught blue cod, so Raylene cooked the fish for us and the other guests making a lovely evening meal on two occasions. Chatting to her and to the other guests was a highlight of our stay at Glendaruel. We took a guided tour of UIva island but were disappointed at not seeing much in the way of birds. We also took a kiwi spotting night tour...and did see three kiwis - but very fleetingly. I cannot recommend this place to highly. If you can get a booking, consider yourself fortunate! She prefers payment by direct transfer. I used WISE which worked...

Our second time on Stewart Island, but first time at Glendaruel and we loved it. Raylene is a great host and a fund of knowledge on all matters relating to the island. From the moment she picks you up at the ferry terminal, you feel at home. The location of Glendaruel is perfect, between Oban and Golden Bay, with beautiful views all around and wonderful bird sound everywhere. An easy walk into Oban for dinner at night - a bit steep on the way back, but that's all to the good after a full meal!||Our room upstairs was very comfortable and adjacent to the large guest lounge with wrap around views and an abundance of books and information on the island and NZ in general. A great place to relax after a day's walking.||We also loved the informal breakfasts and chance to chat to Raylene and the other guest who was staying at the time. ||Stewart Island is a very special place and we were very glad that we had included it in our itinerary again. And Glendaruel was the perfect place to make the most of it.||Highly recommended. Thank...