NORTHERN SOUTH ISLAND
Northern South Island is a wild, sparsely populated region with some of the most dramatic mountain and forest scenery in New Zealand. Five of the country's fourteen national parks are located here. They are Kahurangi National Park, Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson's Lake National Park, Paparoa National Park, and Arthur's Pass National Park. The main tourist centers are Picton, Westport, Greymouth and Hokitaka.
Marlborough Sounds (north of Picton) is filled with so many islands, peninsulas, sheltered waterways, coves and beaches it has 930 miles of coastline even though it occupies an area of less than 400 square miles. Located across Cook Strait from Wellington and comprised of valleys that have been submerged by the sea, it is a popular area with sailors and sea kayakers, who often see dolphins and flocks of gannet chasing schools of blue cod. The small town of Havelock is the embarkation point for multi- and single-day sailboat trips and kayak tours. Website www.destination.co.nz/marlborough.
Queen Charlotte Route is a popular waterside and ridge-top driving route that many people do in a rent-a-car or rented motorhome. It begins in Picton and follows Marlborough Sound to the small settlement of Okiwi Bay and then crosses over French Pass to the charming town of Takaka, and then continues on to Holden Beach and Farewell Spit on the Tasman Sea. A side route leads to Buller Gorge, featuring a river flanked by rain forests and cliffs with red and yellow mosses and lichens.
Picton
Picton(connected to Wellington on the North Island by ferry) is a sleepy little coastal town situated on a sheltered cove on the Queen Charlotte Sound. Located at the end of the snowcapped Kaikoura mountains, it is a charming and pretty town that draws large numbers of visitors because of it location on the important Inter-Island ferry route.
Its attractions include a picturesque harbor, a charming Victorian seafront, flower-filled parks, tall sailing ships, and a museum with whaling exhibits. The most popular sight is Waikawa Marae, a sacred meeting place for the Atiawa Maoris. Here visitors can witness demonstrations of the “hongi” hand shake and nose press and the “haka” challenge dance and listen to traditional songs performed by Maori men with painted tatoos and woven-flax “piupa” skirts.
Picton Tourist Office: Picton Information Services, Picton Ferry Building, Auckland Street, ☎ (03)-573-8838 Fax: (03)-573-5021, E-mail: Website www.destination.co.nz/marlborough. Accommodation: Picton is a fairly small but it still has a fairly wide choice of accommodation options. It has 5 ★★★★ hotels; 6 ★★★ hotels and motels; 3 ★★ hotels and motels; several ★ hotels and guest houses; one backpacker hotel and hostel; and five motor camps and campgrounds. How to Get There: Picton is connected to Wellington on the North Island by ferry. It is also a four hour and 40 minute or 220 mile drive from Christchurch. The five-hour-20 minute Pacific Coastal train runs between Picton and Christchurch. There are also buses between Christchurch and several other towns. There is a small airport nearby.
Blenhiem
Blenhiem (15 miles south of Picton) is a medium-size town with fertile valleys inland from the coast. Grapes are grown in the area. Several of the vineyard have wine tasting tours and in February there is a wine festival. The popular Marlborough Wine Trail, which includes stops at 12 wineries, begins in Blenheim. Whale watching and dolphin viewing trips are also run out of Blenheim.
Blenhiem Tourist Office: Blenheim Information Centre, 1c Main Street Road, ☎ (03)-578-9904, Fax: ☎ (03)-578-6084, E-mail: blm_info@clear.net.nz. Website www.destination.co.nz/marlborough. Accommodation: Blenheim is mid-size town with about the same amount of accommodation as Picton. It has one ★★★★★ hotel; 4 ★★★★ hotels; 10 ★★★ hotels and motels; one ★★ motel; several ★ hotels and guest houses; two backpacker hotels and hostels; and 5 motor camps and campgrounds. How to Get There: Blenheim is a 20 minute drive from Picton and a four drive from Christchurch. It is a stop on train between Picton and Christchurch. There are also buses between Christchurch and several other towns. There is a small airport nearby.
Kaikoura
Kaikoura (80 miles south of Blenheim) is one of the few places in the world where sperm whales can see on whale watching tours. It is also famous for its crayfish (lobsters) and dolphins.
Kaikoura Tourist Office: Kaikoura Information Centre, the Esplanade, ☎ (03)-319-5641, Fax: (03)-319-6819, E-mail: kbvzvin.@nzhost.co.nz. Accommodation: Kaikoura is a medium size town with one ★★★★ hotel; 7 ★★★ hotels and motels; two ★★ hotels and motels; several ★ hotels and guest houses; one backpacker hotel and hostel; and 5 motor camps and campgrounds. How to Get There: Kaikoura is a two hour drive from Picton and a 2½ hour drive from Christchurch. It is a stop on train between Picton and Christchurch. There are also buses between Christchurch and several other towns. There is a small airport nearby.
Nelson
Nelson (80 miles west of Picton at the end of Tasman Bay, across the mountains west of Blenheim) is a town which is known for its hippies, new agers, craftsmen, and especially its glassblowers. Wine tasting tours can be done at the small boutique vineyards. The beaches north of Nelson are some of the most popular on South Island. The Nelson area is one of the sunniest parts of New Zealand.
Nelson Tourist Office: Nelson Visitor Center, Corner Trafalgar & Halifax Streets, ☎ (03)-548-2304, Fax: (03)-546-7393, E-mail: info@tourism-nelson.co.nz. Website www.wevnz.com/nelson/links.html. Accommodation: Nelson is a medium size town with a wide choice of accommodation options. It has a few very nice guest houses; 10 ★★★★ hotels; 21 ★★★ hotels and motels; 5 ★★ hotels and motels; several ★ hotels and guest houses; three backpacker hotels and hostels; and six motor camps and campgrounds. How to Get There: Nelson is a two hour drive from Picton and Blenheim. It can also be reached by bus from Picton and Blenheim and several other towns. There is a small airport nearby.
Abel Tasman Walk (near Nelson) is one of the few coastal hikes in New Zealand. Requiring two or three days to complete, it follows the Pacific Ocean and passes through stands of niaku palms, concentrations of sub-tropical vegetation, rocky headland and white sand beaches with penguins, seals and dolphins. The walking is fairly easy and there is much less rain than on other South Island tracks. There are also opportunities fishing and snorkeling. One trailhead is in Nelson. There is another is Motueka. The is one lodge along the route. A road parallels the trail.
Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park (west of Nelson on the northwest corner of the South Island) is New Zealand's newest and largest park. Encompassing 1,744 square miles (more than a millon acres) of mostly uninhabited land and formally known as Northwest Nelson Forest Park, it features wonderful alpine lakes, apple and pear orchards, virgin rain forests, and spectacular wilderness scenery.
Dominated by the Tasman Mountains, it is home to many rare animals including the rare great spotted kiwi, blue duck, the world's only mountain parrot, New Zealand's largest spiders and colossal snails that leave behind trails of slime. There are also 2,270 different plant species.
There are no roads in the park but there are 353 miles of walking trails, including the 43-mile-long Heaphy Track and the challenging Wangapeka Track, which passes near some of the deepest and longest caves in the world. About the only sign of human habitation is an automatic lighthouse that was built on Kahurani Point after dozens of ships were pushed by winds and waves into the coastline. Kahurangi means "clocks of the sky." In the old days Maori used to come to this part of New Zealand looking for jade. Accommodation: Kahurangi has many campgrounds. How to Get There: you pretty much need your own vehicle.
Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park is known for its rugged coastal scenery and rocky headlands. Most areas of the park can only be reached by foot or by boat. It named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, the European "discoverer" of New Zealand.
To get to Golden Bay which is on the west side of the park it is necessary to make a steep climb over Takaka Hill, a region of strange marble outcrops, large depressions, caves and limestone formations.
On the west side of Golden Bay, along a 15 mile sand spit called Cape Farewell, tourists enjoy jeep safaris in bus-size dune buggies. On the east side of the bay, the beaches are almost uninhabited. Near here is Pupu Springs, a fresh water spring with a visibility of almost 200 feet that is popular with scuba divers. Among the largest in the world, the spring is fed by over 2.1 billion liters of water every day. Also nearby is Maruia Falls, a waterfall created by the 1925 Murchison earthquake.
Kaiteriteri (about 70 miles from Nelson, on the western side of Tasman Bay) is the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. Accommodation: Kaiteriteri is a fairly small town with a couple of hotels, guest houses and motor camps. How to Get There: Kaiteriteri is a two hour drive or bus ride from Nelson.
Greymouth
Greymouth (west coast of the South Island) is the home of the historic Brunner Coal Mine, the Historical Museum (with displays on jade and gold mining), the historic Mitchells Gully Gold Mine and the DB Westland Brewery. Outside of Greymouth you can visit a black petrel bird colony, raft through a glowworm cave and white water raft down a glacier-fed river.
Greymouth Tourist Office: Greymouth Information Office, corner of MacKay & Herbert Streets, ☎ (03)-768-5101, Fax: (03)-768-0317, E-mail: gmvin@nzhost.co.nz. Website www.west-coast.org.nz. Accommodation: Greymouth is a medium size town with 3 ★★★★ hotels; 8 ★★★ hotels and motels; 6 ★★ hotels and motels; several ★ hotels and guest houses; one backpacker hotel and hostel; and 2 motor camps and campgrounds. How to Get There: Greymouth is a three hour and 45 minute drive from Christchurch and five hour drive from Nelson. The five hour Tranz Alpine Express Train runs between Greymouth and Christchurch. It can also be reached by bus from Christchurch and several other towns. There is a small airport nearby.
West Coast is a long narrow stretch of land between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps. Largely unspoiled and uninhabited, it borders four national parks: Westland, Arthurs Pass. Mt. Aspiring and Mount Cook. The glacier-carved snowy peaks and thick rain- saturated forests resembles the mountains and forests in the American Pacific Northwest and the Alaskan panhandle. Near Waiuta, which lies in the at the base of the mountains, there are several ghost towns left over from the 1860s gold rush. Website www.west-coast.org.nz.
Punakaika (30 miles north of Greymouth) is near Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, maybe the most amazing sight on the west coast. Carved by the nearby sea these limestone formations are comprised of wafer thin terraces of strata that look like they were etched into the rock with a knife.
Punakaika Tourist Office: Paparoa National Park Visitor Centre, State Highway, ☎ (03)-731-1895, Fax: (03)-731-1896, E-mail: punakaikiFC@doc.govt.nz. Website www.west-coast.org.nz. Accommodation: Punakaika is a fairly small town with a couple of guest houses and one motor camp. How to Get There: Punakaika is a 45 minute drive from Greymouth. It can also be reached by bus from Greymouth, Westport, Christchurch and Nelson and several other towns.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New Zealand Tourism Board, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, and various books and other publications.
Last updated September 2025