Oban

<a href=”http://www.newzealandtravelvideos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Oban.jpg”><img class=”alignleft size-medium wp-image-648″ title=”Oban” src=”http://www.newzealandtravelvideos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Oban-300×201.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”201″ /></a>Oban is the main town on the island of New Zealand’s Stewart Island, the southernmost inhabited island of New Zealand. Administratively, it belongs to South Island. Oban is located on a bay called Half Moon Bay. Sometimes the name of the bay is used as a synonym for the place name. The town was named after Oban in Scotland. It is likely one of the Scottish settlers played an important role in the early stages of the colonization of southern New Zealand.

According to the 2001 census, the island had a total of 387 permanent residents; this meant a drop of 30 since the 1996 census. Of these, about 80% live in Oban. Recent estimates set the range around 400 inhabitants. The island experienced a mild economic recovery and received several millions of support funds from the government because tourism significantly increased since the opening of Rakiura National Park.

The place has a flight to Invercargill and a ferry to Bluff. Occasionally, cruise ships make stops in Oban. They do not anchor in the relatively narrow Half Moon Bay, but in Paterson-bay, and then bring the passengers with tender-boats to a small investor in Golden Bay. From there it is about 700 meters over a ridge to Oban.

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