New Zealand - South Island

The rugged South Island is less populated that the North but the scenery is even more spectacular. In the north are the pretty waterways, forested peaks and ordered vineyards of the Marlborough region. To the south, at the heart of the towering, snow capped Southern Alps, is Queenstown, home to almost every activity imaginable, from walking to white water rafting, from lake cruises to bungee jumping.

The west coast mountains collide with the ocean in a series of magnificent fiords, including the famous Milfords and Doubtful Sounds. To the east the fertile Canterbury Plains surround the Island's gateway city of Christchurch, with its fine buildings, manicured parks and the meandering Avon River.

South Island's second city of Dunedun, Gaelic for Edinburgh, has a unique scottish feel ...more

The rugged South Island is less populated that the North but the scenery is even more spectacular. In the north are the pretty waterways, forested peaks and ordered vineyards of the Marlborough region. To the south, at the heart of the towering, snow capped Southern Alps, is Queenstown, home to almost every activity imaginable, from walking to white water rafting, from lake cruises to bungee jumping.

The west coast mountains collide with the ocean in a series of magnificent fiords, including the famous Milfords and Doubtful Sounds. To the east the fertile Canterbury Plains surround the Island's gateway city of Christchurch, with its fine buildings, manicured parks and the meandering Avon River.

South Island's second city of Dunedun, Gaelic for Edinburgh, has a unique scottish feel and a rare colony of yellow-eyed penguins that come ashore on the beautiful Otago Peninsula. Kaikoura is the centre for whale watching and dolphin cruises, whilst the best place to spot a kiwi in the wild, and many more native birds, is remote Stewards Island at New Zealand's southern tip.