South Island attractions

The long Otago Harbour is a spectacular setting for Dunedin, a historic city that hums with young, student energy. It’s a perfect home base for exploring the Otago region. From here you can ride a historic railway, explore the University of Otago campus, spot penguins in the wild, and even visit New Zealand’s only castle.

The Taieri Gorge Railway isn’t just a way of getting from Dunedin to Pukerangi: It’s an experience. The train travels through the Central Otago landscape of hills, deep gorges, pastureland, and forests. It follows part of the historic Otago Central Railway route, constructed in the 19th century during Otago’s Gold Rush. Plus, it leaves from the beautiful neo-Gothic Dunedin Railway Station, a major Dunedin attraction.

Set on a knob of land jutting out into Lake Wakatipu, these gardens offer a quiet respite from the noise of town, with a variety of trees including Douglas firs, sequoias, and monkey puzzles creating a natural barrier. Shoreside paths leading around the edge offer spectacular views of the lake and the ragged peaks of the Remarkables.

One of the largest kiwi hatching facilities in the South Island, the West Coast Wildlife Centre is a must-do for visitors of all ages. Go to learn all about New Zealand’s native birds and other animals. You’ll also have the chance to see some kiwis, rarely encountered in the wild, and tuataras, an ancient New Zealand lizard species.

Burkes Pass in South Canterbury’s Mackenzie Country is a mountain pass with a namesake heritage village tucked at its base. First utilized by indigenous Maori people, the outpost later grew into a township around a hotel that was opened for weary Mackenzie pioneers. Today, it makes an ideal base for outdoor explorations.

Reaching the berg-dotted Lake Hooker is just one motivation to hike this winding 6-mile (10-kilometer) trail from the campground near Mount Cook Village. Just as rewarding are views of Mueller Glacier and Mount Cook (Aoraki), as well as the white waves of native Mount Cook buttercups that bloom each spring. This is one of the area’s most iconic walks, and it’s spectacular.

The face of Cashel Street is ever-changing—from the heart of Christchurch’s once-bustling downtown to its post-earthquake Re:START mall. Today the city mall, also known as Cashel Street Mall, is rebounding as a thriving pedestrian thoroughfare offering shopping, a farmers market, and top-grade people watching.

For wine drinkers the world over, New Zealand is synonymous with sauvignon blanc. While the country produces award-winning varietals like Central Otago pinot noir, it’s the sauvignon blanc from Marlborough vineyards that oenophiles can’t stop talking about. Despite its fame this premier wine region remains blissfully undeveloped.

The Shotover River, which drains into the Kawarau River beneath the famous Kawarau Bridge, is renowned as an aquatic playground for visitors traveling to Queenstown. Even the drive toward the Shotover River is an outdoor adventure in itself, as the road leading into Skippers Canyon is a winding, mountainous route.

At Odysseum in central Queenstown, you’ll navigate a course with obstacles, illusions, and strange lighting, sound effects, and smells. As the name suggests, this unusual attraction requires visitors to engage all their senses as they move through various rooms. The maze is just as popular with adults as it is with older kids and teens.

Whether you’re looking for a casual or a competitive round of golf, courses don’t come much more scenic than Jack’s Point Golf Course outside Queenstown. The 18-hole, par-72 course is on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, treating players to views of the Remarkables range of the Southern Alps. The on-site restaurant Jack’s serves breakfast, lunch, coffee, and bar snacks.

Dunedin’s St. Paul’s Cathedral is the “Mother Church” of the Anglican Diocese in Dunedin. It’s a landmark in the central-city Octagon and stands out–physically and philosophically–in Presbyterian-dominant Dunedin. The cathedral was first built in 1863, but the materials were poor, and the original design was never completed. What exists today was constructed throughout the 20th century.

The New Zealand Garden Trust classifies Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens, on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin, as a Garden of National Significance. Established in 1871, the gardens are full of flowering trees, ferns, and a Matai tree that’s around 1,000-years-old. The gardens are a must-visit for keen gardeners and nature lovers to explore.

Sweeping views of bright lakes, mountain scenery, and New Zealand’s longest glacier reward hikers on the short-but-scenic hiking trails departing from Tasman Valley. It’s an uphill, roughly 1-mile (1.5-kilometer) round-trip walk to Tasman Glacier View, with the option to add a short spur trail to Blue Lakes. For a longer walk, take the 2.3-mile (3.7-kilometer) round-trip path to Tasman Glacier Lake.

The hillside city of Dunedin is an important stop for cruise liners sailing around the South Island and the southernmost Dunedin Cruise Port serves as the gateway to this lively university town with Scottish roots. Use Dunedin Cruise Port as the jumping-off point for exploring the wider Otago Peninsula, a finger-like protrusion of land renowned for its marine wildlife, and more.

Blue Pools Track in Mt. Aspiring National Park is often considered one of the best short, easy walks in New Zealand. The 1.8 mile (3 kilometer) track passes through beech forests to swing bridges over the Makarora River, from where you can access the beautiful glacial pools. The track takes about an hour to walk.

Although it is located in a former British colony, Akaroa Harbour is decidedly French—down to the baguettes and street names—as this Christchurch enclave was originally founded by pioneering French settlers. Located on the rugged Banks Peninsula, 90 minutes by car from Christchurch, Akaroa drifts along at a pace that's more rural, laid-back—and French—than New Zealand’s third-largest city.

Kaikōura is an impressively scenic town, with the mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. One of the best places to admire the views is from the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway, a cliffside track around a peninsula just south of the town. Keep an eye out for seabirds, seals on the beaches, and maybe even dolphins and Kaikōura’s famous whales from the track.

The Wanaka region is one of New Zealand’s most storied and scenic landscapes, and best explored by tackling the popular, backcountry Rob Roy Glacier Track. This half-day adventure takes you into the wilderness of Mt. Aspiring National Park, past waterfalls, streams, fern-laden valleys, and glaciers that cling to the mountains. Though its elevation is just 2,000 feet (610 meters), the trail has the feel of an alpine adventure where snow-streaked ridgelines and creaking glaciers hang right at the edge of the tree line.

Westland Tai Poutini National Park’s Fox Glacier can be tricky to catch sight of from ground level. One way of getting a good view is from the Fox Glacier South Side Walkway/Cycleway, an easy 2-hour walk or 1-hour mountain bike ride. It follows the south bank of the Fox River, which flows from the glacier, through forest.

With its colorful art, oversized mosaics, blooming flowers, and whimsical gardens, The Giants House is among Akaroa’s top attractions. In fact, the creative energies of horticulturalist and artist Josie Martin have turned this 1881 property into a kind of living art-piece, one that changes with every passing season.

The reflection of New Zealand’s two tallest mountains, Aoraki/Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman, on the glassy surface of Lake Matheson is one of the South Island’s most famous postcard images. To see these views, you’ll need to complete the 2.7-mile (4.4-kilometer) Lake Matheson Walk, an easy, accessible loop through beautiful native forest.

In southwestern New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, this remote sound remains one of the least modified areas of the mainland. There’s no road access, though cruise ships often pass through, because it’s actually the largest and longest of Fiordland’s sounds. Otherwise, it’s off the main tourist circuit.

The short, easy Mirror Lakes Walk is a great place to break up the trip between Te Anau and Milford Sound, on the Milford Road. As its name suggests, you’ll see the reflections of the Earl Mountains on the small lake’s surface, when the weather conditions are right. The short walk is wheelchair accessible and takes about 10 minutes, there and back.

Carved by glaciers and now covered in beech forests and tussock grass, Eglinton Valley is an important conservation site in Fiordland National Park. It’s one of the only valleys in the park with road access, so many travelers pass through this scenic spot en route between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

Dating back to 1875, Akaroa Lighthouse was originally built on a rocky perch at Akaroa Heads, where it stood watch over the mouth of Akaroa Harbour. Although the lighthouse was replaced by an automatic light in the 1970s, it had become such a beloved local landmark that it was moved to a new location just south of town.

With one of the largest collections of restored classic vehicles in existence, Bill Richardson Transport World is one of Invercargill’s most popular tourist attractions. Car enthusiasts ogle the retro Kombi vans, Model Ts, 1930s V8s, and vintage gas pumps, while kids enjoy the play area and wearable art displays.

Dedicated to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, this museum includes exhibits that vary from historic aircraft to a hands-on flight simulator. Memorials here are dedicated to members of the air force who have died in service, while a collection of photographs offers a window into New Zealand’s military history.

Stirling Falls, called Waimanu Falls in Te Reo Māori, is a 495-foot (151-meter) high waterfall in Milford Sound. When it rains—which it often does in Fiordland National Park, the wettest place in New Zealand—many temporary waterfalls gush from the mountains, but Stirling Falls is a permanent feature of the landscape. It’s usually seen from cruises on Milford Sound.

Whether you’re driving or taking a guided tour, passing through the Homer Tunnel—which pierces the Darran mountains—is the only way to reach Milford Sound by road. If you’re imagining a wide, brightly lit subterranean expressway, think again: The 0.75-mile (1.25-kilometer) tunnel is narrow, steep, and unlit—except by your car’s headlights.