Dunedin

As you travel around the South Island, look for the sign you can trust. i-SITE is New Zealand's official network of visitor centres.

Invercargill City – 50,500
Gore District – 12,050
Southland District – 32,00
Southland total – 94,550

Southland has a cool temperate climate. In the populated and intensively farmed parts of the region mean daily temperatures range from around 5ºC in July to 14ºC in January. There can be around 80 days of ground frost in the winter months and 1000mm of rainfall fairly evenly spread throughout the year. Wind speed averages 15–20km/hr and there are about 1600 hours of sunshine annually.

World’s Fastest Indian - Burt Munro
Tuatapere sausages
Bluff oysters
Paua house
Bluff Oyster and Southland Seafood Festival
Tim Shadbolt

GoDo is an online booking service for activities. We work with hundreds of activity suppliers across New Zealand so that you can book the perfect activity online instantly – be it tandem sky diving, hot air ballooning or V8 racing – on the particular day that you want to go. We’re trying to make the process of planning your weekends, holidays and days off as painless as possible with thousands of activities to choose from.

Wotif Activities South Island, Otago

Dunedin restaurants have won national recognition for outstanding food and service. The A-list includes Fleur’s Place (Moeraki), Pier 24 (hotel dining par excellence), Scotia (Scottish-themed), Bacchus (historic surrounds), Two Chefs (French bistro) and Plato (Cuisine Magazine Restaurant of the Year finalist  four years in a row).

The sheer variety of dining options will surprise you. Funky or folky, Dunedin’s restaurants offer cuisine styles ranging from New Zealand contemporary to Japanese, Italian and Thai. Oysters, vinyl tablecloths and thinly sliced white bread are still served up at Stuart Street’s iconic Best Cafe.

Dunedin's location - close to the sea and a rich agricultural hinterland - means fresh, high-quality, seasonal produce is readily available

Nestled on the east coast of the South Island, Oamaru has an enticing range of cafes, restaurants and pubs.  From fine dining to family restaurants, Oamaru's eateries offer reasonable rates and serve everything from international cuisine to fresh local produce such as blue cod, lamb and beef. Many also stock Waitaki Valley and Central Otago wines as the perfect accompaniment to a memorable meal.

A short drive to rural areas reveals a growing array of country cafes which are found from Omarama in the district's north western corner to Moeraki in the south. Each has its own distinctive flavour and feel.

You can enjoy Southland by parking up your campervan and stretching your legs on one of the many easy walks around the region.  Here are a few to choose from, most are under an hour so can be easily fitted into your travelling day.  For a full list of walks around the Southland region, click here.

Otepuni Gardens (Invercargill & Bluff)
Winding pathways along the banks of the Otepuni Stream provide a refreshing break from the city’s central business district. A few minutes walk from the city centre, Otepuni Gardens covers 9.4 hectares and encompasses four city blocks and gives a peaceful sanctuary to city workers,...

Dovovan Park (Invercargill & Bluff)
Donovan Park is an attractive area of rural parkland to the north of the city, linking Bainfield Road with McIvor Road via a winding park road, and also provides an alternative route to Anderson Park. The park’s open grassland, ponds and attractive plantings have a backdrop of farmland.

McLean Falls (Catlins)
This is a walk through native bush to a spectacular waterfall. 40 minutes return. Travel 6km up Rewcastle road.

Lake Wilkie (Catlins)
This walk shows the unique succession of forest development from lake edge to mature forest. Flowering rata are splendid during summer..30 minutes return.

Queens Park - a beautiful park in the centre of Invercargill sprawling across 80 hectares.

Highlights include a beautiful and varied rose garden, a rhododendron dell, an azalea garden, Japanese garden, dramatic tree lined walkways, bush paths through a selection of native plants and rock and herb gardens.

An indoor Winter Garden features tropical and flowering plants and cacti are displayed in an adjoining house.   

Matai Falls (Catlins)
A 30 minute return walk through regenerating podocarp/broadleaf forest, the beautiful Matai Falls are best viewed late in the morning.

If its a round of golf that interests you then you certainly won't be disappointed in Southland!

There are 26 golf courses around the region ranging from 18 hole courses in Te Anau, Invercargill and Gore, 9 hole courses throughout the region and a unique 6 hole course on picturesque Stewart Island. Each course offers different terrain, scenery and course characteristics.

Green fees are extremely reasonable and the courses are located in some of the most scenic places around the region.  For a full list of golf courses to choose from, click here.

Green Acres Country Club
89 Steel Road, West Plains, Invercargill

Te Anau Golf Club
Golf Course Road, Te Anau

Mossburn Golf Club
Cumberland Street, Mossburn