Small Towns

The gateway to the south island, most people will tread foot on Picton soil before heading  north, south or west. Picton is a charming town with plenty to see and do. The Queen Charlotte Track starts (and ends) here and the Marlborough Sounds are well worth exploring on foot, boat or kayak.

Twenty-nine km south of Picton, this is the largest town in the Marlborough region. Sunny, warm and home to 18 wineries, you may want to book in for a few days here.

Summer attracts people to the golden sand beach like sandflies to uncovered ankles, but it is easy to see why. Have a go at the various watersports, make castles with the golden sand and walk through native bush.

This relaxed city offers beaches, forest and mountains and the range of outdoor activities from skydiving to sea kayaking. It’s also a base for those heading to any of the regions three national parks - Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi. Nelson is also home to a thriving art and craft community just waiting to be explored.

Walkers, cavers, hippies and beach bums all come here to follow their favourite pursuits. The Abel Tasman is responsible for the first group, the limestone caverns for the second. Flower power and 60s children hang out in Takaka, while long clean beaches and clear water attract the beach bums. Visit the pupu springs, the largest in New Zealand.

The  huge sandy wilderness is home to flocks of Arctic  birds like terns, oystercatchers, turnstones, shags and godwits. The 26 km of salt marshes can only be explored with a guided tour, many of which leave from nearby Collingwood.

“Murch” is actually in the Nelson region, but is very much the gateway to the wild west coast. It is an important service centre and kick-off  point for  many of the area’s adventure activities like rafting, kayaking, rock climbing and caving.

Sitting on the gigantic Buller River, Westport is a coaltown-cum-adventure town. Try underworld  rafting - not for the fainthearted - or adventure caving for something different and visit the coal museum for all you need to know about the black stuff. Stop at inland villages like Reefton, the first place to get electricity in New Zealand, and Blackball  for a real flavour of the wild west.

Almost halfway between Westport and Greymouth at Punakaiki are the limestone Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. They are a short walk from SH6 and are best when the sea is rough.

Gold mining made Greymouth what it is today, that is the largest town on the west coast. At the mouth of the Grey River (hence the name) walk along the wall which protects the town from the  river and out to the wild sea.  Visit the Jade Boulder Gallery for souvenirs and Monteith’s Westland Breweries to quench your thirst.

“Hoki”, as it’s affectionately known, is 40km south of Greymouth. It is a major centre for greenstone, used for pendants, ornaments, Maori artefacts and jewellery.

With a population of around 30, Makarora has its own special charm. Fly, bush-walk and jet-boat around this secluded wilderness.

There are two main glaciers on the west coast, although many more in the mountains. Franz  Josef and Fox Glacier are the most easily accessible. The two glaciers are similar, both are continually advancing, but it is worth visiting both and walking or landing by helicopter on at least one.

Take a step back in time and  imagine the days of the gold rush, for Arrowtown, between Queenstown and Cromwell, looks like is  has been frozen in time.

Just 40 minutes drive from  Queenstown, this village offers blissful tranquillity, superb tramping and unobstructed views of Lake Wakatipu. The drive there lends itself perfectly to photographs.

Mitre Peak features on thousands of  post cards and  scenic photos of New Zealand, so you may well have seen it already. Visit the Sound by boat, plane or kayak to see the cascading Stirling Falls and occasional dolphin. Overnight cruises are a popular option and some include swimming with seals and dolphins and fishing.

Less well-known, less visited, but nevertheless worth seeing, this Sound is as spectacular as Milford. Go prepared for rain - Fiordland gets over five metres of  it a year.

Take your walking boots for a visit to the “walking capital of the world”. Walks  accessible from here include the Milford Sound, Hollyford, Kepler Greenstone, Caples and Dusky tracks, but there are many, many more shorter and easier in the area. You could walk for weeks here without re-tracing your  steps.

A laid back town on the shores of beautiful Lake Wanaka and surrounded by mountains, Wanaka offers year-round outdoor activities. Soak up the sun, windsurf, boating, mountain climbing, tramping, sky diving and fishing during summer. In winter there’s ice skating on Lake Diamond and skiing on Treble Cone and Cardrona ski fields. Don’t mss the Puzzling World and Tilted House - definately no other place like this in the world!

In the far south of the South Island is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets - the Catlins. The area is one of incredible beauty, teeming with wildlife and picture postcard views. There are few man-made features to stop and look at, instead the attractions are all natural wonders and free. Often seen around the rugged coastline, lined with native forest are fur seals, Elephant seals, Hooker sea lions, Blue and Yellow Eyed penguins and Hector’s dolphins. The Catlins Coast stretches from Waipapa Point in the South to Nugget Point in South Otago.

One of the most southerly cities in the world, it is definitely New Zealand’s southernmost. Visit the tuatara at the museum, a throwback to the dinosaur era. One, called Henry,  is thought  to be  over 100 years old.

Bluff Oysters are famed in New Zealand. For fresh locally caught oysters visit between March and August, or buy deep fried from a chip shop all year round.

The smallest of New Zealand’s 3 main islands, known to Maori people as Rakiura (“island of the glowing sky”). Unspoilt beaches, sheltered inlets, forest, rich plant and bird life, seals and penguins. Ideal setting for a peaceful holiday, with bush and coastal walks, tramping, hunting, sea fishing, boating, historic whaling sites, old homesteads and a museum.

Jock Mackenzie gave this region its name, although little is known for sure about the Scotsman - only that he was a sheep hustler.

New Zealand’s highest peak is stunning on a clear day. Helicopters, skiplanes, guided walks, mountaineering and skiing  are some of the ways of catching some mountain action.

Romantic, tranquil and unbelievably turquoise, this lake is picture postcard New Zealand. Visit  the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd and the collie dog statue - a tribute to farm dogs.

Keep your eyes glued to the skies to spot top class gliding activity, due to the area’s  north-west  thermals. This is a good base for the ski fields above Lake Ohau and fishing for rainbow and brown trout  is excellent.

These large “dinosaur  eggs” scattered on the beach at Moeraki have been drawing curious crowds for years. They are thought to be about four million years old  and are perfectly round.

Both the yellow eyed and little  blue penguin are found near Oamaru  - the latter nest around the harbour. This is about the only place you will find these shy birds so near habitation.

About halfway between Christchurch and Dunedin this port is a good place to  break up a journey. Visit at Christmas for a 10-day festival  extravaganza at Caroline Bay (from December 26), but be sure to book accommodation well in advance as lots of Kiwis also celebrate here.

On the Banks Peninsula, around 82km from Christchurch,  is  a charming town which could be on the French Riviera, with its French “rues” and place names. The 2-4 days Banks Peninsula Track takes in the best scenery. Go on a cruise to see the rare Hector’s Dolphins.

Whale watching is at its best here. Boat and small plane trips give two different  perspectives of the whales. Kaikoura means “to eat crayfish” in Maori and there’s plenty of opportunity for that from roadside vans to restaurants. Visit the seal colony and do at least one wildlife trip - you won’t regret it!

Soaking in the natural hot spring waters outdoors is an experience not  to be missed. Imagine slipping into the therapeutic waters after a hard day’s skiing at one of the nearby ski fields or tramping in the surrounding hills. Ahhh, what bliss.