The Great Coast Road
Punakaiki's claim to fame is Dolomite Point, where a layering-weathering process called stylobedding has carved the limestone into what looks like piles…
Must-see attractions in South Island
Fiordland & Southland
South Island’s true southerly point lies not in Bluff, as many mistakenly believe, but at the end of a 20-minute trudge through a windswept cliff-side…
Queenstown
Shaped like a cartoon lightning bolt, Lake Wakatipu is NZ's third-largest lake. It reaches a depth of 372m, meaning the lake bed actually sits below sea…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Straddling the Southern Alps, known to Māori as Ka Tiritiri o Te Moana (Steep Peak of Glistening White), this vast alpine wilderness became the South…
Dunedin & Otago
Every evening the tykes from the Ōamaru blue penguin colony surf in and wade ashore, heading to their nests in an old stone quarry near the waterfront…
Nelson Region
With a Māori name that translates as 'Long Island', this low-lying expanse forms an 8km-long barrier to the ocean with a gorgeous sandy beach spread along…
Fiordland & Southland
A tiny paradise covering only 269 hectares, Ulva Island / Te Wharawhara is a great place to see lots of native birds. Established as a bird sanctuary in…
Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre
Blenheim
When Sir Peter Jackson has a passion for something, there are no half measures. That's abundantly clear in the 'Knights of the Sky' exhibition, which…
Nelson Region
Bleak, exposed and positively sci-fi, Farewell Spit is a wetland of international importance and a renowned bird sanctuary – the summer home of thousands…
Fiordland & Southland
A kingdom of shiny chrome lies beyond the doors of Transport World, touted as the largest private automotive museum on the planet. Across 15,000 sq metres…
Dunedin
Although it's a youngster by European standards, this spectacular 1906 mansion provides a wonderful window into Dunedin's past. Entry is via fascinating…
Dunedin & Otago
Consisting of only a couple of blocks centred on Harbour and Tyne Sts, this atmospheric enclave has some of NZ’s best-preserved Victorian commercial…
Christchurch
Strolling through these 30 blissful riverside hectares of arboreal and floral splendour is a consummate Christchurch experience. Gorgeous at any time of…
Takaka
Around 14,000L of water per second bubble up from underground vents here, making it the largest freshwater spring in the southern hemisphere. It's also…
Dunedin
Storytelling is the focus of this excellent interactive museum, which traces the history of human settlement i
Fiordland & Southland
Reach one of the South Island's most jaw-dropping coastal lookouts via the 900m Nugget Point (Tokatā) walkway. Wave-thrashed cliffs give way abruptly to…
Nelson Region
This remote, dramatically beautiful beach is a magnificent introduction to the West Coast, with a seal colony at its eastern end and otherworldly rock…
Christchurch
Damaged in the earthquakes, Christchurch's fantastic art gallery has reopened brighter and bolder, presenting a stimulating mix of local and international…
Queenstown & Wanaka
Enter past the fence of bras (Bra-drona!) and you'll find the beautiful cellar door of this fledgling single-malt distillery inside a building made of…
Christchurch
A must-visit for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes, this compact museum tells stories through photography, video…
Blenheim
Zero-carbon winemaking on a grand scale at this space-age winery out by itself near Seddon, 30km southeast of Blenheim. A 7km self-drive vineyard tour…
Otago Peninsula
What makes the improbably beautiful beaches of this coastal sheep farm different from other important wildlife habitats is that (apart from pest…
Banks Peninsula
An ongoing labour of love by local artist Josie Martin, this whimsical garden is really one giant artwork, a combination of sculpture and mosaics that…
Timaru
One of the South Island’s largest public galleries, this 1908 mansion houses a notable collection of NZ and European art across various eras, alongside…
Buller Region
Every gold-rush town needs a still, and Reefton's got a goodie in the form of this operation that makes use of foraged botanicals and spring water sourced…
Christchurch & Canterbury
It's fitting that Waipara Valley's premier winery should have the loveliest setting and one of Canterbury's best restaurants (mains $36 to $43). Verdant…
Fiordland & Southland
Oh, that all small-town museums could be this good! The riveting Riverton museum starts with a 16-minute film about Pākehā sealer Jack Price and his Māori…
Fiordland & Southland
Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…
Banks Peninsula
An arduous post-quake revamp has rewarded Akaroa with a smart, contemporary regional museum. Learn about the various phases of the peninsula's settlement,…
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park Visitor Centre
Christchurch & Canterbury
Arguably the best DOC visitor centre in NZ. It not only dispatches all necessary information and advice on hiking routes and weather conditions, it also…
Fiordland & Southland
If you only see one waterfall in the Catlins, make it this magnificent cascade down three tiers of jet-black rock. It's an easy 10-minute clamber to reach…
Westland Tai Poutini National Park
On a good day, the famous 'mirror lake' reflects extraordinary views of distant Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman in its forest-shaded waters. The best time to…
Dunedin & Otago
From the impressive visitor centre there are great views over this 307-hectare predator-free nature reserve, which encloses cloud forest on the…
Christchurch
Dating from 1877, this enclave of Gothic Revival buildings was originally Canterbury College, the forerunner of Canterbury University. The buildings are…
Dunedin & Otago
Discover an alternative past – or maybe a quirky version of the future – at this fascinating art project celebrating steampunk culture. Ancient machines…
Queenstown
Set on its own tongue of land framing Queenstown Bay, this pretty park is the perfect city escape right within the city. Laid out in 1876, it features an…
Buller Region
It's almost an hour's walk each way from Kōhaihai along the beginning of the Heaphy Track and over the hill to Scotts Beach – a wild, empty shoreline…
Blenheim
Under its previous name, Montana Wines, this was the trailblazer of the wine region. Now it has Marlborough's most impressive cellar door and restaurant…
Takaka
The ultimate in geological eye-candy around these parts are the phytokarst features of Rawhiti Cave, a 15-minute drive from Takaka (reached via Motupipi,…
Blenheim
Pull up a beanbag on the Hockneyesque lawns of this impressive complex and enjoy a three-wine flight ($10), or head into the cellar for a more traditional…
