The South Island

The South Island, or the Mainland, is a showcase of everything New Zealand is famous for. The landscape is diverse and beautiful, from farmland to mountains, deserted beaches to rainforests, glaciers to vineyards. It provides the ideal environment for outdoor activities. Skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping and world-renowned tramping are but a few of the activities you can experience.

Nelson and Marlborough

Marlborough is the sunniest region in New Zealand and home of the Marlborough Sounds. Also in the past few years the region has seen the growth of a world-renowned wine industry. Try a vineyard tour or check out the Marlborough Wine Festival that takes place every February in Blenheim. Nelson is a unique town with many outdoor pursuits on offer. Explore the golden sands of Abel Tasman National Park in a kayak or on foot. Or spend a quiet afternoon in a trendy café with a good book. Nelson has a strong arts and crafts community, working in many mediums including glass blowing, pottery and ceramics, woodturning, fibre, sculpture, and painting. The town also boasts superb seafood such as scallops, mussels, crabs, fish, boutique wineries, hop growing and small local breweries, hillsides covered in pip-fruit orchards and berry fruit. Further south is Kaikoura, famous for whale watching and crayfish eating. A great place to swim with dolphins and fur seals.

West Coast

The South Island's West Coast stretches 600 kilometres along the western edge of the South Island. The West Coast is a rugged, primeval region of contrasting features, and remains untouched in many areas. Check out the natural wonders of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers or the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. Make sure you sample some of the local delicacy, whitebait fritters and the local brew, 'Monteiths' in Greymouth. Another option is to explore the glass blowing galleries as well as the Wild Food Festival hosted every year in Hokitika in early March (sample if you dare).

Canterbury

Christchurch, the major city in the Canterbury province, is the largest city in the South Island. It is a beautiful green city full of parks, ponds and museums. Also a great place to head if you are tired of climbing the hills of Auckland and Wellington because the city is flat. Canterbury supporters are passionate about their rugby so it is a great place to watch a game. On Banks Peninsular is the quaint seaside town of Akaroa, which was originally inhabited by French settlers, and many features of the town reflect this influence. Just west of Christchurch is Mt Hutt, which is one of the best ski fields in the country and boasts one of the longest seasons.

Queenstown

The adventure town! This is the town that brought the world bungy jumping and Hamilton Jet boats. Queenstown is one of the best resort towns in the world with a huge variety of activities to suit all types and personalities. Enjoy a mix of history and high adventure including bungy jumping, rafting, flying fox and jet boating. Winter in Queenstown is great with excellent skiing at the Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Treble Cone or Cardrona. Along with all the action and adventure, there is a hectic social life that runs all night. If partying all night isn't for you take it easy on a scenic cruise on Lake Wakatipu. Or spend a day at Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town that provides an interesting journey back in time. Try your hand at fishing for trout and salmon at any time of the year or experience high country farm life with a horse trek, sheep shearing and dog trials.

Otago and Southland

Otago and Southland are regions dominated by contrasts. Settled originally by Scottish immigrants, Otago is steeped in history (Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh). Also Otago University is in Dunedin and the town has been moulded to suit the needs of the students. Check out the nightlife in one of the many student pubs there, or take a tour of the Speights Brewery (Pride of the South). Dunedin is another great place to watch a rugby game down at Carisbrook 'The House of Pain'. Dunedin is close to great ski fields in winter and beaches for surfing in summer. If rugby and surfing is not your scene then you can check out wildlife on the Otago Peninsula. An awesome chance for you to get face to face with penguins, sea lions and the only mainland albatross colony in the world. Southland boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in New Zealand in the World Heritage Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. Te Anau is a peaceful little town with a multitude of activities to keep travellers busy. Invercargill is home of the famous Bluff Oysters and of course the Bluff Oyster and Seafood Festival, which is held every year in May.