Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Things to do in New Zealand's South Island (from a local!)
17
items As a New Zealander, I've spent my whole life exploring up and down our beautiful country. I've lived on both and North and the South Islands for many years, and when I was living on one, I visited the other every single year. While there's so much to...
Sections
4
Nature Spots
Activities
Towns
Places to Shop & Eat
Nature Spots
The South Island of New Zealand is known for it's stunning scenery. Here are are some of the things I've done over the years that I highly recommend checking out. Even if they're not the usual tourist spots!
There are so many amazing Pick Your Own Berry places all around New Zealand. In this blog post, I'm sharing a bunch from the South Island and the North Island.
Go Summer Berry Picking
We visited the Wanaka Lavender Farm one summer and it was so much fun! Highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area. You can see a little of my trip there here on the blog.
Visit The Wanaka Lavender And Honey Farm
One summer we did a holiday in Golden Bay in the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island and we had a blast! Here are some of the spots we checked out.
Check out Golden Bay in the Tasman Region
A morning’s outing saw us head down to The Catlins to Florence Hill Lookout, to see the sweeping beach below, the ocean bending away over the horizon, nothing between us and Antarctica. Matai Falls is just a short 15-min walk in from the main road in...
Visit The Catlins In Otago
If you're on a road trip of the South Island, thinking about an inland route, then changes are you'll pass over Rakaia Gorge. If you have the time, stop and soak up the views, or head down to the river's edge for a pause on your trip.
Make a Stop at the Rakaia Gorge
On our trip down the South Island coast this summer, my friend and I stopped off at the Moeraki Boulders, a hot spot for tourists and locals alike, especially for the photo opportunities. While I think I have been there before, I would have been very...
Visit New Zealand's famous Moeraki Boulders
New Zealand has some fantastic wildlife, and one of the more popular tourist (and local!) attractions is the Kaikoura seal colony. As you drive along the main route south, you’ll drive through lots of tunnels, see lots of birds and have the opportuni...
Spot The Kaikoura Seal Colony On The East Coast
If you're a fan of the 2005 movie The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, then you may recognize Castle Hill as one of the filming locations. But even if you haven't seen the movie, it's such a cool place to check out in Canterbury New Zealand. It's not...
Kura Tāwhiti (Castle Hill)
Activities
Whether it's fun transport or checking out a city's activities, there's so much happening in the South Island of NZ!
One of my favourite South Island activities I've done is taking the Great Journeys Coastal Pacficic train from Picton down to Christchurch. It was so much fun! You can check out my blog post about it here if you're interested in more information.
Explore New Zealand by Train with Great Journeys: Coastal Pacific
Christchurch Adventure Park is a "base for epic adventures and chilled out downtime", according to the website, and I couldn't agree more. Set in the Port Hills behind the city of Christchurch, the Adventure Park is a fantastic combination of outdoor...
Try NZ's Longest Chair Lift At Christchurch Adventure Park
Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand is known for its spectuclar landscapes … and a lot of adrenaline-inuding activities. But there is still a lot to do if you're one for keeping your two feet on the group. Haha! In this blog post, I share s...
Visit Queenstown When You're NOT an Adrenaline Junky (it's possible!)
I do love a tram! If you don't have long to visit Christchurch in New Zealand‘s South Island, then one way to see as much as possible in the Garden City is to jump on one of the iconic trams.
*Outside Benable aff link
*Outside Benable aff link
Take A Tram Tour Around Beautiful Christchurch
Towns
Exploring the South Island's little towns is a great way to see the country!
As my friend and I road tripped back up the South Island of New Zealand from Dunedin, we stopped in at Oamaru, a small town on the coast, famous for being New Zealand’s steampunk capital. And it really was. Steampunk everywhere. And a very fun place ...
Steampunk Capital Of New Zealand: Oamaru
If you're doing a road trip of the South Island in New Zealand, chances are you'll make your way through Kaikoura. It's definitely a great stop along the coast for lunch or a coffee, and you might even see the seals.
Kaikoura
You don't need to be snow-savvy or up for skiing to visit Cardrona. I'm neither of things and yet we had a lovely short stop at Cardrona on a road trip.
Cardrona
Places to Shop & Eat
I lived for some of my childhood in Christchurch, and I absolutely love visiting even though I don't live there anymore. The Riverside market is a fantastic addition to the city, and I always like to head there when I'm visiting. So many delicious fo...
Riverside Market
Super quirky wee food stop if you're heading down the East Coast of New Zealand's south island!
Karaka Lobster