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EXPLORE BY INTEREST
Southland’s scenic diversity is matched by the many world-class attractions and activities operating in harmony with the province’s unique environment.
The province is home to two national parks – New Zealand’s newest, Rakiura, covering most of Stewart Island and the country’s largest, Fiordland, which has World Heritage status.
A haven to countless species of native wildlife, Southland is the place to be truly at one with nature. Trampers beat a track to Southland’s many tracks, while the rivers are a drawcard for international anglers.
Southland’s architecture, museums and heritage trails are a must for visitors with a love of history. Most cultural tastes are catered for – music, food and fashion festivals, indoor and outdoor theatrical productions, art galleries and sporting clashes are just the beginning.
Fernbirds at Otatara
A birdwatchers’ delight, Bushy Point is located 10 minutes from Invercargill city on a privately owned, eco friendly protected forest and wetland reserve on the edge of the New River Estuary. It is well known as the easiest place to see fernbirds (bowdleria punctata) in New Zealand. There are tuis in abundance, bellbirds, Grey Warblers, and fantails easily seen. The Shining Cuckoo is a summer visitor. In the nearby estuary, Royal Spoonbills an d many wading bird species can be seen. Sandy Point reserve with walking tracks through rare Totara dune forest is nearby.
Awarua Wetlands
Located 20km south east of Invercargill, the area is of particular interest because most years it holds the second highest number of waders and a greater number of species than other sites in Southland. It also attracts rare visitors to New Zealand such as Siberian tattler, greenshank and sanderling.
Waituna Lagoon
40km south east from Invercargill and known as the Waituna Wetland Scientific Reserve, more than 80 different species have been recorded here. Some, like the Eastern bar-tailed godwit/kuaka are international migrants, making an annual journey from their Siberian breeding grounds for the southern summer feast. The wetlands also provide a vital refuge for rare residents, including the southern New Zealand dotterel, marsh crake, fernbird/mätätä and Australasian bittern/matuku.
Knobs Flat
Knobs Flat in Fiordland National Park’s Eglinton Valley on the road to Milford Sound has an established wildlife monitoring and management programme in the beech forested valley. A number of rare species are present along with the common: Mohua (Yellowhead), Kaka, NZ Falcon,Yellowcrowned Parakeet, Robin, Rifleman, Brown Creeper and Australasian Bittern to name a few. Short- and long-tailed bats are also present and Kea, Blue Duck and Rock Wren can be found a short distance away.
Stewart Island
Largely unmodified, the Island provides excellent habitat and food for native birds. The sea surrounding the Island is rich in food and attractive to a large number of seabirds.
Ulva Island, in the centre of Paterson Inlet, is a regular stop on boat trips. It is renowned for its diversity and abundance of birdlife; weka, kākā, kākāriki, tūī, bellbirds, pigeons, kereru, fantails, kiwi, saddleback, Stewart Island robin and mohua (yellowhead).
The Stewart Island Brown Kiwi or the Southern Tokoeka, Apteryx australis lawyri - is one of six identified species of kiwi. Kiwi are flightless and largely nocturnal. However, the Stewart Island Brown Kiwi is active during the day and night. Kiwi outnumber humans and it is estimated there are 20,000 on Stewart Island. They are not always easy to see, shying away from humans and rarely coming close to inhabited areas. Kiwi spotting evening tours are available.
Seabirds abound in the coastal waters due to the rich supply of food. Albatross, mollymawk, prion, petrel, cormorants and blue penguin are regularly seen. Sooty shearwater are seen in large numbers during their breeding season.
Catlins
The Catlins is recommended as an area for bird watchers as it is richer than many other areas of New Zealand in forest birds as well as waders and seabirds. There are several rarities here, it is one of the best places for yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) and for the rare yellow-head (mohua). A birding brochure, listing bird varieties and locations, can be obtained from Catlins Promotions.
The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is only found in New Zealand. Standing 65cm tall and weighing 5-6 kg, their distinguishing feature is its distinctive yellow eye and bright yellow stripe that runs through the eye and around the back of the head. They are known to Maori as Hoiho.
Curio Bay is great for viewing Yellow Eyed Penguins, who can be spotted from a safe distance at dusk and dawn when they leave their nests to feed and to come home at night.
Roaring Bay, at the end of the road to Nugget Point, is home to yellow-eyed penguins that hop up the cliffs in the two hours before sunset.
Queens Park – the Pride of Invercargill
The pride of Invercargill is Queens Park, a beautiful park in the centre of the city sprawling across 80 hectares.
Highlights include a beautiful and varied rose garden, a rhododendron dell, an azalea garden, Japanese garden, dramatic tree lined walkways, bush paths through a selection of native plants and rock and herb gardens.
An indoor Winter Garden features tropical and flowering plants and cacti are displayed in an adjoining house. Queens Park also has an impressive bird aviary, animal enclosures, children’s play areas, extensive sporting facilities and cafes. At the southern entrance you will find the Southland Museum & Art Gallery, and i-SITE Visitor Information Centre.
Anderson Park Art Gallery, Invercargill
Invercargill is also home to Anderson Park where a Georgian-style mansion, now an art gallery, sits among sculptured lawns and rose gardens. The park covers 24 hectares and features flower gardens bursting with colour, tall trees and native bush, along with a traditional carved Maori house, duck pond and children’s playground. Anderson Park Art Gallery is open daily from 10.30am to 5pm (excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day).
Otepuni Gardens, Invercargill
A smaller yet very central green area in the centre of Invercargill is the Otepuni Gardens, spilling either side of the Otepuni Stream. Walkways lead through gardens of annuals, shrubs, mature trees and lush grass.
Maple Glen, Wyndham
Maple Glen is a 25 acre private garden, nursery, aviary, woodland and wetland set in the rolling green countryside near Wyndham in Eastern Southland. Home to beautiful and expansive gardens home to a large population of native and exotic birds, Maple Glen is open to visitors all year round. Originally it was bought as a dairy farm but over the past 40 years has slowly developed into magnificent gardens.
Public Gardens, Gore
Further north, Gore's public gardens are part of New Zealand's 'Founding Gardens of Significance'. They are part of the Gore Green Belt and were set aside in 1874. Large mature trees line the garden, which has been carefully planted to provide interest year-round. It includes many unusual trees and shrubs and in October Gore celebrates these gardens with a rhododendron festival.
The province’s history can be found everywhere, in the little villages which are speckled across the plains and hills, to the larger towns which are the centre of Southland’s industry, and on lonely coastlines, where memories of sailing ships are not far from the imagination.
Invercargill
Invercargill, Southland’s main city, is well-known for the historic buildings which have merged into the modern landscape of the inner city. Invercargill is arguably one of New Zealand’s cities with the most intact buildings from the country’s early years, with a heritage walk established to show visitors some of the magnificent architecture.
The Invercargill Water Tower, built in 1889, is an icon of the city. Several imposing cathedrals dot the city centre and slightly out of town is the beautiful Anderson Park, once a stately home – now an art gallery. The house still contains some of its original furnishings and hosts a collection of New Zealand Art. The Southland Museum and Art Gallery holds memories of years gone by, including superb Maori treasures.
Eastern Southland
Just an hour north is the town of Gore and it’s established heritage precinct with illicit moonshine whisky museum, art gallery (which includes the world-renowned John Money collection) and the Gore historical museum.
Another must-see near Gore is the Croydon Aircraft Museum at Mandeville, where vintage planes are restored and visitors can experience the thrill of open-air flight in the cockpit of a Tiger Moth.
Heritage Trails
Heritage Trails can be found in many of the rural areas of Southland, including Lumsden, Takitimu, Winton, Gore, Bluff and the Catlins (visit the Waikawa museum).
Gore is home to a nationally significant art collection that is the envy of some of the biggest institutions in the country. The John Money collection is displayed alongside work by contemporary New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere at the Eastern Southland Art Gallery. Together, the collections represent art at its finest.
The Anderson Park Art Gallery, atop gently rolling pastureland near Invercargill, shows permanent and changing public exhibitions in a whitewashed mansion built early last century. In Invercargill, the Southland Museum and Art Gallery boasts a strong public art collection and interpretive heritage displays that tell the stories of the region’s pioneering past.
Gore’s Hokonui Heritage Centre is a recognised and consistent trailblazer among regional museums, while Te Hikoi, Riverton’s heritage and tourist centre, combines modern set design with movie-style documentary to let you to experience the trails and successes of yesteryear.
Taking in the scenery and wildlife of Southland is only half the fun. The other half is discovering its rich and varied artistic and cultural events. For more information about Southland's major events visit the Major Events page.
Think of Southland cuisine and those are the impressions that spring to mind. The food lovers experience in the South is as memorable as you would find anywhere in New Zealand. From the internationally famous Bluff oysters, to glorious rock lobsters, paua (abalone), blue cod and salmon. Southland is a seafood lover’s delight.
It doesn’t stop there! How about organic, grass-fed beef, lamb, wild game, and venison to satisfy the most discerning appetites? Would you like gourmet pastries, 100% sheep milk cheeses, honey, hazelnuts, fresh organic farm produce, seasonal vegetables, beverages, and chocolates galore?
Southland is well known for being an agricultural paradise. Southland is well known for its efficient sheep, beef, dairy and venison farming, as well for a variety of boutique food industries. More than 90% of Southland’s primary produce is exported to over twenty international markets. The seafood flavours are created by the cool pristine waters of the fiords and surrounding oceans, while the wide, green landscapes and valleys are ideal for traditional farming, organic farming and wild game.
Southland has an extensive network of touring routes – such as the Southern Scenic Route, where you can experience local cuisine at a diverse range of fine restaurants and cafés, elegant hotels and homestays. The rich flavours are created by a combination of the temperature, climate, fertile soils and cool waters all under the stewardship of the proud Southland people.
During your Southland adventures be sure to seek out our local food, and give your taste buds a treat.
Accessible, exhilarating, and challenging hiking trails offer an incredible journey to a land of scenic wonder. In just one day, you can enjoy secluded inlets and wind-swept shorelines, before following bubbling streams through lush native bush to snow-capped, picture-postcard peaks.
Trails such as Tuatapere’s Hump Ridge Track (see below), or the more challenging Dusky Track in Fiordland National Park, transport you to some of the region’s most outstanding wilderness treasures, and unique flora and fauna. Both are fantastic trips for the intrepid can-do tramper.
Across Foveaux Strait, the tracks of Rakiura National Park take you to the remnants of New Zealand’s primeval past.
You’ll soon see why southerners love the outdoors. Walks that excite the senses and invigorate the mind will leave you at one with the nuggety earth, and enriched by an extraordinary journey. Visit www.doc.govt.nz for National Park track information and collect a "Southland Short Walks" brochure for other options.
Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track
Located at the south-western tip of the South Island, this track has more unique experiences packed into it’s 3 days than many of New Zealand's “Great Walks” such as the Milford or Routeburn tracks.
Winding through parts of Fiordland National Park, along an alpine ridge, through native forest and along remote beaches of the south coast, this walk will stretch your legs, entertain your mind, and delight your desire for the great outdoors.
The Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track is a 3 day / 2 night scenic loop track with a mixture of beach, bush tracks and boardwalk. High points along the track offer 360-degree panoramic views of Stewart Island, the Southern Ocean and the wilderness of Southwest Fiordland. The track then descends along the Hump Ridge to the south coast, along old tramlines and across mighty wooden viaducts to historic Port Craig. Bush and beach tracks following Te Waewae Bay complete the circuit.
Visit the official Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track website at www.humpridgetrack.co.nz to learn more about the track, the level of difficulty, the options and costs. Send an email or phone +64 (03) 226 6739.
Stewart Island
Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third largest island is a very special place. Conservation is especially important as 85 percent of the land area is contained within the Rakiura National Park. Stewart Island is also home to New Zealand’s national bird, the iconic kiwi and there is the opportunity to view kiwi in the wild. Kiwi-spotting on an isolated beach or tussock covered hill is an unforgettable experience.
Weka, kaka, tui and bellbirds can all be heard and seen on the island along the many walks – both short and overnighters – through the mostly untouched podocarp forest. The island has hidden inlets, bush clad hills, rugged coastline, swampy valleys and granite outcrops and is a place for getting back to nature.
The Catlins
On the mainland, along the south-east coast, the Catlins offers enthralling scenery and extraordinary marine wildlife. Long sandy beaches, rocky headlands, rivers, hidden waterfalls, protected rainforest and delicate ecosystems characterize the landscape. Rare and endangered species such as the yellow-eyed penguin, Hector’s dolphin, native birds, seals and Hooker sealions make their home in the Catlins.
One of the unique sights within the Catlins is Curio Bay’s 180 million-year-old fossilised forest, which is of international geological significance. Petrified remains of trees similar to kauri and matai are embedded in coastal bedrock.
Western Southland
In Western Southland you will find a number of glacially-carved lakes including Lake Hauroko (the deepest lake in New Zealand) and lakes Monowai, Manapouri and Te Anau – all hidden between the forest-covered mountains of Fiordland National Park.
Southland is also home to two significant wetland areas – the Waituna lagoon, which is one of five in the country with international recognition, and the Awarua wetlands, the largest area of protected wetland in southern New Zealand.
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