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Best of New Zealand's South Island

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Discover the South Island - visit breathtaking fiords, hike through picturesque forests, enjoy fresh seafood, and lose yourselves in the vibrant energy of New Zealand.

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About Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula. It is home to 381,800 residents, making it New Zealand's third most-populous urban area behind Auckland and Wellington. The river that flows through the center of the city (its banks now largely forming an urban park) was named Avon at the request of the pioneering Deans brothers after the Scottish River Avon, which rises in the Ayrshire hills near what was their grandfather's farm and flows into the Clyde.

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Christchurch

Canterbury, New Zealand

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About Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. While Tauranga, Napier-Hastings and Hamilton have eclipsed the city in size of population in recent years to make it only the seventh-largest urban area in New Zealand, Dunedin is still considered one of the four main cities of New Zealand for historic, cultural and geographic reasons. Dunedin is a regular venue for touring ballet and dance companies, and also has multiple dance studios. Dunedin lends its name to the Dunedin Sound, a form of indie rock music which was created in the city in the 1980s.

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Dunedin

Otago, New Zealand

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About Invercargill

Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial center of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island, and the Catlins coastal region. Many streets in the city, especially in the center and main shopping district, are named after rivers in Great Britain, mainly Scotland.

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Invercargill

Southland, New Zealand

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About Te Anau

Te Anau is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo. Tourism and farming are the predominant economic activities in the area. Lying as it does at the borders of Fiordland National Park, it is the gateway to a wilderness area famed for tramping and spectacular scenery. Many tourists come to Te Anau to visit the famous nearby fiords Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Visitors to the area also partake in activities such as kayaking, cycling, jet boat riding, fishing and hunting, farm tours and seaplane/helicopter sightseeing.

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Te Anau

Southland, New Zealand

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About Queenstown

A resort town, Queenstown boasted 220 adventure tourism activities in 2012. Skiing and snowboarding, jet boating, whitewater rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, skateboarding, tramping, paragliding, sky diving and fly fishing are all popular. Queenstown is a major center for snow sports in New Zealand, with people from all over the country and many parts of the world travelling to ski at the four main mountain ski fields (Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone). Cross country skiing is also available at the Waiorau Snowfarm, near Cardrona village.

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Queenstown

Otago, New Zealand

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Best of New Zealand's South Island
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City name
Date
Nights
1.
Christchurch, New Zealand
2 nights

En-route: Attaractions on the way.

1.1
Moeraki Boulders
1.2
Otago Peninsula
1.3
Penguin Place
1.4
Aramoana Beach
1.5
Taiaroa Head
1.6
Larnach Castle
1.7
Glenfalloch Woodland Garden
1.8
Orana Wildlife Park
1.9
Mount Hutt
1.10
Lake Tekapo
2.
Dunedin, New Zealand
2 nights

En-route: Attaractions on the way.

2.1
Nugget Point
2.2
The Catlins
2.3
Slope Point
2.4
Glenfalloch Woodland Garden
2.5
Oreti Beach
2.6
Otago Peninsula
2.7
Larnach Castle
2.8
Port Chalmers
2.9
Orokonui Ecosanctuary
2.10
Aramoana Beach
3.
Invercargill, New Zealand
2 nights

En-route: Attaractions on the way.

3.1
Te Anau Caves
3.2
Fiordland National Park
3.3
Lake Te Anau
3.4
Paua House
3.5
Hokonui Moonshine Museum
3.6
Doubtful Sound
3.7
Lake Wakatipu
3.8
Slope Point
3.9
Twelve Mile Delta Campsite
3.10
Moke Lake
4.
Te Anau, New Zealand
2 nights

En-route: Attaractions on the way.

4.1
Alan Waters Art Gallery
4.2
Lake Dunstan and Quartz Reef Point Historic Reserve
4.3
Diamond Lake Conservation Area
4.4
Doubtful Sound
4.5
Hokonui Moonshine Museum
4.6
Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World
4.7
Mount Iron
4.8
Otago Central Rail Trail
4.9
Lake Wanaka
4.10
Wanaka Lavender Farm
5.
Queenstown, New Zealand
2 nights