Stewart Island Weather, Tides, Aurora & Webcam

My Interest in the Weather

All my life I have looked over my shoulder at the weather. It started with shepherding on my parents farm, reinforced during my time “On the Hill” as a forest ranger and later as a fisherman. And even today as a tour guide, as I really want the best possible experience for my guests. And as I get older I find myself more and more prone to rust. Of course as a fisherman the tides were all important and during night passages especially to and from Fiordland I was often fascinated by the Aurora displays.

So this page is addresses those three interests

Stewart Island Flights Cam

Not long after our first web cam went live “Stewart Island Flights” who are our local Air Service told me they would log on several times a day for a quick visual on conditions and visibility here. And occasionally they would suggest that I turn the camera to point at a local hill which was actually their preferred reference for cloud ceiling. …… Low cloud is not unknown on Stewart Island …..But Garden Mound is not really the view we wished on our camera so i always just declined. My old camera went down some time ago and it took me a couple of weeks to get a new one and have it running …. projects are not always easy on an Island !!!…I got lots of growling’s from the pilots until it was running again. So I suggested that if they gave me a good outdoor camera I would point it at Garden Mound just for them. We are now on the second set of cameras. A lightening flash did for the first pair

And so here it is. .

Garden Mound is the reference point and is the rounded hill above and slightly to the left of the roof corner. This view will flare badly in bright late afternoon sun. Not an issue for the pilots as if it is sunny then the visibility is excellent for them. The image updates every 10 minutes

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Sails Ashore, Kowhai Lane & Sails Tours

11 View Street,
Stewart Island, 9846
NEW ZEALAND

+64 3 219 1151
Email: tait@sailsashore.co.nz
Web: www.sailsashore.co.nz