10 Reasons to visit the South Island

Struggling to decide whether it is best to visit the North Island or the South Island of New Zealand? This article gives you 10 reasons to visit the South Island.

When I was a little girl, I must admit I was very curious, but I was also a silly girl – still am, by the way.

Whenever people told me to do something or go somewhere, I’d say: "Give me 10 good reasons why I should do that or go there".

Most of the time, the people who told me to do something or go somewhere, could never give me those 10 reasons. They’d come up with 3 reasons at the most.

I like challenging people or giving them food for thought.

So I thought, why not turn the tables on myself and give you 10 good reasons why you should visit the South Island of New Zealand? So here goes…

1. South Island national parks

New Zealand has a total of 14 national parks, 9 of which are located on the South Island:

1. Abel Tasman national park
2. Kahurangi national park
3. Nelson Lakes national park
4. Paparoa national park
5. Arthur’s Pass national park
6. Westland / Tai Poutini national park
7. Aoraki / Mount Cook national park
8. Mount Aspiring national park
9. Fiordland national park

Needless to say, you’ll find the best nature that New Zealand has got to offer on the South Island, and many of the great walks of New Zealand start and end on the South Island.

2. South Island mountains

The 10 highest mountains in New Zealand are all located on the South Island. The highest mountain is Aoraki / Mount Cook at a towering 3,754 m.

This might not come as a surprise to you if you know that the Southern Alps run from the top of the South Island all the way to the bottom of the South Island.

The Southern Alps have at least 223 named peaks higher than 2,300 m.

3. South Island glaciers

New Zealand has 3,144 glaciers. The 5 largest glaciers are all located on the South Island:

1. Tasman glacier
2. Murchison glacier
3. Fox glacier
4. Franz Josef glacier
5. Volta glacier

Both Fox and Franz Josef glaciers are easily accessible and you can book glacier walks with tourist operators on the West Coast. I myself joined one of those tour groups and did a glacier hike at Fox Glacier back in 2001.

So if you want to see or walk on ice, you must visit the South Island.

4. South Island fiords

Fiordland national park on the South Island is New Zealand’s largest national park, but also a large wilderness area.

Only a small piece of Fiordland national park is seen by tourists in the form of walks on the Milford Track and boat tours on Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, and Lake Manapouri.

So if you want to see the most spectacular scenery in New Zealand (including tall waterfalls) visit the South Island.

5. South Island lakes

Four of the 5 largest lakes in New Zealand are located on the South Island:

1. Lake Te Anau
2. Lake Wakatipu
3. Lake Wanaka
4. Lake Ellesmere

If you’re wondering, the next one up would be Lake Pukaki; yes, the large milky blue one in many pictures of Mount Cook.

And the largest lake on the North Island (and in New Zealand) is Lake Taupo; Lake Taupo would come in on number 1 in the preceding list of largest New Zealand lakes.

So for fun on the water, you must visit the South Island.

6. Autumn colours South Island

The best autumn colours in New Zealand can be found on the South Island in April.

While you’ll be able to find patches of colour here and there on the North Island, it is not as good as on the South Island, especially in South Canterbury and Otago (Southern Lakes region).

7. South Island ski fields

The South Island has 21 ski fields, compared to 4 on the North Island.

So naturally, the South Island ski fields are not only less busy, but you’ll have more choice and depending where you go skiing in New Zealand, see spectacular New Zealand winter scenery.

8. South Island wineries

Marlborough, which is located on the South Island, is New Zealand’s most significant wine-producing region. Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne on the North Island come in on a good second place.

In addition, Central Otago on the South Island is becoming well-known for its wineries and award-winning pinot noir wines. For example, you can find several wine-tasting rooms and restaurants in Gibbston Valley.

So if you’re into wine-tasting, the South Island can give you what you’re after.

9. Queenstown New Zealand

While the North Island has Wellington as the Capital of New Zealand, the South Island has Queenstown as the adventure capital of New Zealand.

The scenery around Queenstown is not only gorgeous, but Queenstown itself is built for and around tourism. Many adventurous (bungy-jumping, jet-boating, etc.) and less adventurous (hiking, biking, winery, scenic flights, etc.) tours can be booked from Queenstown.

Queenstown is a busy, but also must-see place on the South Island.

10. South Island sheep

How can I mention the South Island without mentioning sheep?

The South Island is more rural than the North Island, so naturally there are many farms and there are many sheep. In addition, many farms are located in high-country areas.

You might even have to stop and wait for sheep to get off the road when driving on rural roads or "drive through" them like I did when I drove on the Hakatere Potts road.

So if you want to see sheep, you’re guaranteed to see a good few on the South Island.

11. South Island beaches (bonus reason)

While the North Island has the best beaches in New Zealand – in my opinion – the South Island beaches are not too shabby.

Head to the top of the South Island for beaches, especially Nelson, Kaiteriteri, and Golden Bay. Then take Highway 6 down to the West Coast to enjoy the rugged beauty of the New Zealand coastline.

Final words on 10 reasons to visit the South Island

See? I was able to give you more than 10 reasons to visit the South Island. OK, I cheated a bit, because the North Island definitely wins in the best New Zealand beaches category.

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• Lake Camp near Hakatere, Canterbury, New Zealand
• Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki South Island New Zealand
• Snow on Queenstown Hill and mountains around Lake Wakatipu

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