Exploring South Island, New Zealand

South Island, New Zealand is considered by most travellers to be the more scenic of the two islands. There are so many things to do and see in the southern part of NZ.

If you’re a wine-buff you will head for the north-western end of the South Island and the vineyards of Marlborough, the wine region that produces ‘Cloudy Bay’. This sensational Sauvignon Blanc is rated by many international experts as the finest white produced in the Southern Hemisphere, and perhaps the best of its kind anywhere.

But, of course, you don’t visit the South Island just for the wine. No trip to New Zealand is complete without visiting Christchurch and the nearby tourist haven of Queenstown. You can drive down the east coast to Christchurch, or fly down directly from Wellington.

Most people fall in love with Christchurch at first sight. By far the most English of all New Zealand towns - right down to the Town Crier - Christchurch is also home to the country’s most avid gardeners. Picture-postcard gardens are the norm, and if those who are familiar with Australia see a similarity between Christchurch and Adelaide, this is no coincidence. Colonel Light, son of the famous administrator of Penang, was involved in the planning of both towns when he was working for the Administration of both cities at different times.

A relaxed, laid-back lifestyle is par for the course in Christchurch. A large central park through which the River Avon lazily meanders, splendid churches, old hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, art galleries, and peaceful walking areas, combine to create a home for 300,000 contented Christchurch inhabitants.

For a journey back in time, visit Lyttleton via a strategically-placed mountain tunnel. When sailing ships made the regular run from England to Lyttleton during the Gold Rush days, many sailors were so enthralled with Lyttleton that they decided to settle there. Turn-of-the-century wooden houses line the hillside, bearing a great resemblance to their counterparts in San Francisco. They were built by ships carpenters who were excellent craftsmen but of limited architectural imagination. These small, beautifully-maintained wooden houses have a charm of their own, looking exactly as they did when they were first built.

The short flight from Christchurch to Queenstown takes you into yet another world. Queenstown is one of the most picturesque, colourful and exciting tourist destinations. This small town is set on a magnificent lake with the nearby snow-capped ‘Remarkables’ as a mountain backdrop. For an overvall view take the Skyline Gondola to Bob’s Peak that towers 450 metres above Queenstown.

Experience a trip on the TSS Earnslaw, a beautifully-restored steamer that cruises Lake Wakatipu, brave the Shotover River by jetboat or raft, bushwalk and climb along the Lomond Crescent Track, visit sheep stations, deer farms and the Kiwi and Bird Life Park (the other sure-fire alternative to Auckland Zoo for Kiwi viewing). The nearby Motor Museum is one of New Zealand’s best.

There’s a Sound and Light Museum that gives you a ‘feel’ of what life was like for early settlers, but if you have the time, take a day-trip to nearby Arrowtown. Its main street portrays life as it was during the Gold Rush days. The trip will probably include a visit to the ski slopes of Coronet Peak, New Zealand’s premier ski resort and Kawarau Bridge. Here, those tired of life or short on brains jump off at the end of a rubber rope in a New Zealand-invented lunacy known worldwide as ‘Bungy Jumping’.

After Queenstown there are still a few ‘must do’s’ in the South Island. The first is to fly to Mount Cook, the spectacular mountain that gives you access to New Zealand’s sensational Tasman Glacier. This is one of the world’s few glaciers on which one can actually land in a light aircraft, and ski planes do so regularly, flying up the breathtakingly-beautiful glacial valleys in the process.

Mount Cook offers comfortable accommodation from which to explore and perhaps, if the weather is right, hike, this spectacular region. Whether you sightsee on foot or by aircraft, it’s an experience you will never forget.

Last but not least, don’t forget Milford Sound. With topography and scenery to equal the best of the Norwegian Fjiords, Milford Sound, with Mitre Peak looming in the distance, is nothing short of sensational. Almost-vertical, often tree-studded cliffs frame magnificent high-rise waterfalls, while at water level contented-looking seals sun themselves on rocks after feasting on the Sound’s plentiful fish. No wonder the seals all look as if they’re smiling!

Here, too, is the beginning of one of the greatest bushwalking experiences - the Milford Track. To describe this fully would take another article, but suffice to say that during the season, bushwalking enthusiasts from the world over arrive here each day, for ‘The Track’ is on the mandatory list for anyone taking this activity seriously.

So those are some of the highlights for the first time visitor travelling to South Island, but there’s much more to do and see in New Zealand. It would be worthwhile also reading the article Exploring North Island New Zealand. Like most visitors if you can’t stay for a month or two, the above guide is a pretty good start. Chances are, however, that your first visit to the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ won’t be your last.