Top 5 – Reasons To Tour The South Island of New Zealand
New Zealand is a true travellers’ paradise, offering plenty of variety to spice up your holiday. Today I will tell you my Top 5 reasons why touring the South Island of New Zealand should be on your bucket list!
1. Sensational Scenery
Instagrammers take note … if you want to impress your followers pack up your camera and make tracks to the South Island. With pristine lakes, untouched ancient rainforest, spectacular beaches and magnificent snow-capped mountains, New Zealand is a photographers dream come true. #instatravel #travelgram #nofilter Just to name a few scenic hot spots:
Milford Sound, Fiordland
- Mt Cook (central South Island)
- Lake Tekapo (central South Island)
- Milford Sound – plus Eglinton Valley & Mirror Lakes on the drive (Fiordland)
- Fox & Franz Josef glaciers (West Coast)
- Abel Tasman National Park (near Nelson)
2. Relaxing
Despite having so much to see and do, life in much of New Zealand runs at a slower pace than the big cities of the world. Escape the rat race and tour the South Island by car, coach or motorhome. While it can be said that sitting on a beach in Hawaii might be relaxing if you like sand and sunburn, New Zealand offers so much more viagra en tunisie.
Onsen Hot Pools, Queenstown
There is something magical about touring the south, be mesmerised by the scenery, escape by foot into untouched rainforests, soak up the soothing thermal therapy of hot springs or indulge and pamper yourself with a stay in a luxury lodge.
New Zealand is a holiday destination that will easily have you returning to work feeling relaxed and rejuvenated!
3. Great Local Food
If you are like me, a lot of my travel plans centre on where I am going to have my next taste extravaganza. Blessed with a climate that produces some of the best raw ingredients in the world, the South Island is a haven for foodies and wine connoisseurs.
Winery tour, Marlborough
Some top locations that should not be missed include:
- Blenheim – (in the Marlborough Region) visit vineyards like Pegasus Bay, Giesen and Brancott to name just a couple of the tasty drops to consider sampling.
- Queenstown – You are really spoilt for choice in Queenstown with over 150 restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from. Fergburger on Shotover Street have arguably the best burgers in the world so be sure to drop in for a Big Al burger!
- Havelock – (also in the Marlborough Region) make your way to The Mussel Pot serving a NZ specialty ‘Green-Lipped Mussels’ for over 20 years.
- Hokitika (on the West Coast) – any serious foodie needs to mark 12 March 2016 on the calendar. The Hokitika Wild Foods Festival is a must experience!
- The Bluff Oysters – these are an NZ institution and the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival (nearly as South as you can go) on 21 May 2016 is the best time to try them. Its unsophisticated and they are proud of it!
- Finally make your way out to Lyttelton (approx. 20 minutes from Christchurch CBD) and visit Roots the winner of the Cuisine NZ Good Foods award in 2015.
4. Adrenaline Central
From tandem skydiving to white water rafting, bungy jumping to jet boating, Queenstown is the place where all the adrenaline junkies go for their fix. Push your personal limits, tick another box off your bucket list, in the adrenaline capital of the world!
Shotover Jet Boat, Queenstown
Some of the most popular tours are:
- Shotover Jet
- AJ Hackett Bungy (Nevis Bungy stands at 134m high)
- NZONE Skydive or
- Heli-Rafting which includes a Queenstown rafting trip & helicopter ride.
5. Unique Experiences
New Zealand has something for everyone and some truly unique attractions to entice you. Located near Wanaka is Puzzling World – a mix of weird buildings, a great maze and illusions that will just plain mess with your head.
Cruise with Dolphins, Akaroa
Akaroa is the only place in the world where you can swim with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphins. For 3 hours you can join a Black Cat Cruise and swim with the Hector’s Dolphins, it is an amazing experience not to be missed. Finally there are many places in New Zealand where you can view Kiwis but if you are touring the South Island then make a trip to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch. Offering great Kiwi viewing, a guided Kiwi tour plus the chance to see plenty of other cool NZ wildlife and even Maori cultural performances, it is something unique that the whole family will enjoy.
My hot tip is to take your time exploring the south. 10 days would be an ideal minimum duration to get a good taste of NZ, but stay longer if you can…
If you have any questions just ask us! Do you have any other reasons or favourite South Island attractions that I haven’t mentioned? Let us know in comments.
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