Colorful heavy vintage truck collection in the Bill Richardson Transport World Museum in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand.

© Eugene Drobitko/Shutterstock

Transport World

Top choice in Fiordland & Southland


A kingdom of shiny chrome lies beyond the doors of Transport World, touted as the largest private automotive museum on the planet. Across 15,000 sq metres of warehouse space you'll find classic cars, hulking tractors and vintage petrol pumps (even the bathrooms are on theme). Kids' play areas, a miniature movie theatre, displays of fashions of yesteryear and a great cafe round out Transport World as a crowd-pleaser, rather than just one for the petrolheads.

Revved up for more? Smaller museum Classic Motorcycle Mecca holds a collection of bikes, while Dig This puts you behind the controls of a bulldozer to dig ditches, stack tyres and smash cars.

A 'Turbo Pass' (adult/child $48/28) grants access to both Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fiordland & Southland attractions

1. Water Tower

0.91 MILES

Built in 1889, this elegant brick-clad structure resembles a lighthouse more than it does a water tower. Almost 43m high, it was built to supply the city…

2. Queens Park

1.11 MILES

Half-wild, half-tamed Queens Park encompasses a whopping 80 hectares, with various gardens themed from Japanese to native NZ plant life. There are also…

3. St Mary's Basilica

1.45 MILES

This broad-domed Roman Catholic basilica, open since 1905, is one of Invercargill's most elegant landmarks, and a standout against the low-rise skyline…

4. Classic Motorcycle Mecca

1.49 MILES

More than 300 motorcycles spanning over a century are displayed in this shiny-floored showroom, including three-wheelers and sidecar bikes. It's utterly…

5. E Hayes & Sons

1.57 MILES

Hardware shops aren't usually a must-see, but this one holds a piece of motoring history. In among the aisles of bolts, barbecues and brooms in this…

6. Anderson Park

3.51 MILES

Stretching over 24 hectares, this beautiful park includes landscaped gardens fringed by an expanse of native bush, plus a children's playground and duck…

7. Oreti Beach

7.22 MILES

Ten kilometres southwest of city centre Invercargill, this 26km sandy beach invites brisk walks and bike rides. Southland racing legend Burt Munro once…

8. Bluff Maritime Museum

13.11 MILES

Salty tales whisper from the portholes, driftwood and barnacle-clung planks displayed at Bluff's small museum by the container port. The best part is…