South Island (New Zealand)

From MaxTravelz

The South Island of New Zealand is much smaller in population but larger in land area than the North Island. It claims to be the Mainland - spectacular alps and fiords, large beech forests, beautiful beaches and sounds in the north.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get around 6 See 7 Do 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Sleep 11 Stay safe 12 Get out

Regions

• Marlborough
• Nelson including Golden Bay
• West Coast including Buller and Westland
• Canterbury
• Otago
• Southland

Cities

The South Island has several cities; these are some of the more prominent.

• Nelson
• Christchurch - The largest city in the South Island and the only International Airport in the country with a cross runway.
• Dunedin
• Invercargill

Other destinations

• Franz Josef
• Gore
• Kaikoura
• Milford Sound
• Omarama
• Picton
• Queenstown
• Southern Alps
• Wanaka

Understand

The South Island of New Zealand is the larger of the two main islands though it has fewer people. Geographically it is dominated by the Southern Alps and the Canterbury Plains.

Christchurch, Dunedin, and Nelson are the main cities, though the main attractions are rarely in the cities. All three cities are very different. Christchurch is the largest and has a certain Englishness to it though it is definitely a New World city. Dunedin was settled by Scottish Presbyterians and is very proud of those roots. It also feels older than other cities in NZ because it was built by goldrush money in the late 19th century but has since been surpassed by bigger and brasher cities to the north. Nelson is still very young but has a very South Pacific feel with palm trees and a huge and beautiful beach. The other 2 cities have similar white sand beaches but Nelson's bay is much more sheltered and vacationer-friendly.

It should be noted that beautiful beaches are a dime a dozen in NZ, and some of the best do not average one visitor per day.

Most of the travel interest however is in the smaller towns: Queenstown; Wanaka; Kaikoura; Te Anau; Hokitika; Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. Other attractions are notable for the lack of towns: Fiordland; Marlborough Sounds; the Southern Alps.

Get around

The best way to travel is in a rental car though the Magic Bus and Kiwi Experience provide a good service. With a car however you will be able to divert to anywhere you like and many places are poorly served by public transport. The South Island is relatively sparsely populated and the best parts of it are wilderness. To get to them you really do need your own transport.

See

• Spectacular scenery

Do

The South Island has become the home of Adventure Tourism. That is, ordinary people being encouraged to do crazy things; such as jumping off a bridge with a rubber band tied to their ankles, riding in a jet boat or rubber raft.

Eat

• Crayfish - from the seas around Kaikoura
• Mussels - farmed in the Marlborough Sounds
• Scallops - from the seabed off of Nelson
• Lamb

Drink

• Wine - from Marlborough or Cental Otago.
• Beer - watch out for the local brews.
• Fruit Juice - in Cental Otago.

Sleep

Stay safe

Get out

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