Must-see attractions in South Island

  • New Zealand Slope Point

    Slope Point

    Fiordland & Southland

    South Island’s true southerly point lies not in Bluff, as many mistakenly believe, but at the end of a 20-minute trudge through a windswept cliff-side…

  • Tourists relax at the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown.

    Lake Wakatipu

    Queenstown

    Shaped like a cartoon lightning bolt, Lake Wakatipu is NZ's third-largest lake. It reaches a depth of 372m, meaning the lake bed actually sits below sea…

  • Looking south from the trail to Avalanche Peak in Arthur's Pass National Park, New Zealand.

    Arthur's Pass National Park

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    Straddling the Southern Alps, known to Māori as Ka Tiritiri o Te Moana (Steep Peak of Glistening White), this vast alpine wilderness became the South…

  • Observation area of Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony in New Zealand.

    Blue Penguin Colony

    Dunedin & Otago

    Every evening the tykes from the Ōamaru blue penguin colony surf in and wade ashore, heading to their nests in an old stone quarry near the waterfront…

  • Parrot on Ulva Island, New Zealand.

    Ulva Island

    Fiordland & Southland

    A tiny paradise covering only 269 hectares, Ulva Island / Te Wharawhara is a great place to see lots of native birds. Established as a bird sanctuary in…

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

    Transport World

    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…

  • Olveston Historic Home in Dunedin, New Zealand.

    Olveston

    Dunedin

    Although it's a youngster by European standards, this spectacular 1906 mansion provides a wonderful window into Dunedin's past. Entry is via fascinating…

  • Old building in the Victorian Precinct of Oamaru.

    Victorian Precinct

    Dunedin & Otago

    Consisting of only a couple of blocks centred on Harbour and Tyne Sts, this atmospheric enclave has some of NZ’s best-preserved Victorian commercial…

  • Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

    Botanic Gardens

    Christchurch

    Strolling through these 30 blissful riverside hectares of arboreal and floral splendour is a consummate Christchurch experience. Gorgeous at any time of…

  • Exterior of the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.

    Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

    Dunedin

    Storytelling is the focus of this excellent interactive museum, which traces the history of human settlement i

  • Lighthouse on Nugget Point.

    Nugget Point

    Fiordland & Southland

    Reach one of the South Island's most jaw-dropping coastal lookouts via the 900m Nugget Point (Tokatā) walkway. Wave-thrashed cliffs give way abruptly to…

  • Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna o Waiwhetu), one of New Zealand's most important public art collections.

    Christchurch Art Gallery

    Christchurch

    Damaged in the earthquakes, Christchurch's fantastic art gallery has reopened brighter and bolder, presenting a stimulating mix of local and international…

  • The Cardrona Distillery and Museum sign board with hundreds of bras hanging on the fence known as Bradrona.

    Cardrona Distillery

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Enter past the fence of bras (Bra-drona!) and you'll find the beautiful cellar door of this fledgling single-malt distillery inside a building made of…

  • Outside of Quake City, a special exhibition about the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010-2011.

    Quake City

    Christchurch

    A must-visit for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes, this compact museum tells stories through photography, video…

  • Pegasus Bay

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    It's fitting that Waipara Valley's premier winery should have the loveliest setting and one of Canterbury's best restaurants (mains $36 to $43). Verdant…

  • Te Hikoi Southern Journey

    Fiordland & Southland

    Oh, that all small-town museums could be this good! The riveting Riverton museum starts with a 16-minute film about Pākehā sealer Jack Price and his Māori…

  • Lost Gypsy Gallery

    Fiordland & Southland

    Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

  • Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park Visitor Centre

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    Arguably the best DOC visitor centre in NZ. It not only dispatches all necessary information and advice on hiking routes and weather conditions, it also…

  • Purakaunui Falls

    Fiordland & Southland

    If you only see one waterfall in the Catlins, make it this magnificent cascade down three tiers of jet-black rock. It's an easy 10-minute clamber to reach…

  • Lake Matheson, South Westland, New Zealand.

    Lake Matheson

    Westland Tai Poutini National Park

    On a good day, the famous 'mirror lake' reflects extraordinary views of distant Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman in its forest-shaded waters. The best time to…

  • Takahe at Orokonui ecosanctuary in New Zealand.

    Orokonui Ecosanctuary

    Dunedin & Otago

    From the impressive visitor centre there are great views over this 307-hectare predator-free nature reserve, which encloses cloud forest on the…

  • The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora building in Christchurch, New Zealand.

    Arts Centre

    Christchurch

    Dating from 1877, this enclave of Gothic Revival buildings was originally Canterbury College, the forerunner of Canterbury University. The buildings are…

  • An old train at Steampunk HQ, which portrays an industrial version of steampunk in the coastal town of Oamaru.

    Steampunk HQ

    Dunedin & Otago

    Discover an alternative past – or maybe a quirky version of the future – at this fascinating art project celebrating steampunk culture. Ancient machines…

  • Bridge in Queenstown Gardens.

    Queenstown Gardens

    Queenstown

    Set on its own tongue of land framing Queenstown Bay, this pretty park is the perfect city escape right within the city. Laid out in 1876, it features an…

  • Grainstore Gallery

    Dunedin & Otago

    Crammed with weird theatrical sculpture, papier-mâché masks and vintage curiosities, this former Victorian grain store houses an ever-changing cornucopia…

  • Skyline gondola and bungy platform.

    Skyline Gondola

    Queenstown

    Hop aboard for fantastic views as the gondola squeezes through pine forest to its grandstand location 400m above Queenstown. At the top there's the…

  • YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS ON ROCKS

    Yellow-Eyed Penguin Colony

    Dunedin & Otago

    Larger and much rarer than their little blue cousins, yellow-eyed penguins waddle ashore at Bushy Beach in the late afternoon from a day of fishing. In…

  • Canterbury Museum on Hagley Park, Christchurch

    Canterbury Museum

    Christchurch

    Yes, there's a mummy and dinosaur bones, but the highlights of this museum are more local and more recent. The Māori galleries contain some beautiful…

  • Edwardian railway station, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Pacific

    Dunedin Railway Station

    Dunedin

    Featuring mosaic-tile floors and glorious stained-glass windows, Dunedin’s striking bluestone railway station (built between 1903 and 1906) claims to be…

  • Marble Hill

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    Located within Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve, Marble Hill is home to one of NZ's most beautiful DOC camping grounds – a row of sites tucked into beech forest,…

  • Wānaka Station Park

    Wanaka

    Wānaka Station Park is a piece of Wānaka that existed before Wānaka did. This remnant of the sheep station that once covered the entire south side of the…

  • Otago Museum

    Dunedin

    The centrepiece of this august institution is Southern Land, Southern People, showcasing Otago’s cultural and physical past and present, from geology and…

  • Mirror Lakes

    Fiordland & Southland

    Fifty-eight kilometres north of Te Anau along the Milford Hwy are the Mirror Lakes, a popular stop on this world-renowned road trip. A five-minute stroll…

  • Riccarton House & Bush

    Christchurch

    Historic Riccarton House (1856) sits proudly amid 12 hectares of pretty parkland and forest beside the Avon River. The grounds host the popular…

  • Lake Kaniere

    The West Coast

    Lying at the heart of a 7000-hectare scenic reserve, 18km southeast of Hokitika, beautiful Lake Kaniere is 8km long, 2km wide, up to 195m deep, and…

  • Hokitika Gorge

    The West Coast

    Water this turqouise doesn't come easily. Half a million years of glacial movement sculpted Hokitika's ravine; the rock 'flour' ground over millennia…

  • Hokonui Moonshine Museum

    Fiordland & Southland

    In the early 20th century, Gore's enterprising Scottish immigrants responded to 50 years of prohibition by distilling their own moonshine. This museum…

  • Cathedral Caves

    Fiordland & Southland

    Cutting back into cliffs right on the beach, the huge, arched Cathedral Caves were carved out of the limestone by 160 million years of waves. Named for…

  • Baldwin Street

    Dunedin

    This street proudly held the title of steepest street in the world until July 2019, when Ffordd Pen Llech in the Welsh town of Harlech was officially…

  • Thames Street

    Dunedin & Otago

    Oamaru’s main drag owes its expansive girth to the need to accommodate the minimum turning circle of a bullock cart. The town's grand pretensions reached…