No matter what your particular idea of fun is, you will find more than your share of activities and attractions in the South Island of New Zealand. If you are looking for a more relaxing choice of activities, try wine tasting, visit a museum or real-life castle, or take a beautiful scenic cruise on one of the sounds. If you would like a more adventurous choice of activities, take a week and hike one of the many incredible tracks or take a hot air balloon ride over Christchurch city. For some scare-raising adventure, bungy jump 132 metres from the Nevis Highwire Bungy in Queenstown, New Zealand's adventure capital. Or go white water rafting or glacial hiking.

Christchurch and Canterbury New Zealand's second-largest city has a distinctly English character, with wide, tree-lined street, gracious buildings and lovely parks and gardens. Punting on the Avon River is a favorite past-time in summer, while in winter nearby Mt Hutt draws the skiers. Visit the beautiful tree-lined city of Christchurch and get close to nature. Cathedral Square is the urban heart of Christchurch. As its name suggests, it's directly in front of the city's most famous cathedral—Christ Church. The Cathedral was designed in the gothic revival style by prominent English architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. Although its foundation stone was laid in 1864, construction wasn't complete until 1904. The timber was sourced from Banks Peninsula—over 50,000 pieces of matai and totara were used in the roof alone. The stone was sourced from Castle Hill in the Canterbury high country, from Amberly in North Canterbury and from the nearby Port Hills.
Open every day, Christ Church welcomes visitors. For a small charge you can climb the Cathedral Tower and enjoy the amazing views of the central city.

The Wild West Coast This rugged strip of land down the South Island's west coast boasts a wild coastline, lush native forest, mountains, lakes, rivers and the world's most low-lying glaciers, the Fox and Franz Josef. With a population of only 31,000 people, the West Coast retains the feeling of a pioneer frontier. It's a wild place known for mountain peaks, massive glaciers, bizarre limestone landscapes, mysterious lakes and raging rivers, lush rainforest, magnificent, wild coastline and geological treasures. Legends and stories from the past cling to every feature of the landscape

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Nature began this work of art about 30 million years ago. Over thousands of years, alternating layers of small marine creatures and sand became buried and compressed on the ocean floor. This created areas with multiple layers of hard limestone and softer sandstone. Earthquake activity then lifted the ocean floor high and dry, and those slow motion artists—the rain and the wind—began to erode the softer sandstone. The outcome is cliffs and ravines with hundreds of horizontal slices along their vertical faces, like huge stacks of pancakes. In many places, deep inside the cliffs, narrow vertical air shafts created by the rain met with horizontal tunnels created by the pounding ocean. Today, around high tide, the ocean swells rush headlong through ever-narrowing tunnels and force large amounts of water and compressed air to race upward through the vertical shafts. The result is a hissing, heaving, thumping countryside that rhythmically emits geyser-like plumes of salt water. At high tide in a strong westerly swell, this creation of nature is a very impressive sight.

Kaikoura Once a sleepy fishing village, Kaikoura has become a whale-watching mecca, and a major centre for swimming with the dolphins. Near the top of South Island's east coast, edged by the ocean and overshadowed by snow-capped peaks, is Kaikoura, once an unremarkable fishing town on a peninsula jutting into the Pacific. Today, the sea still provides the major industry, but the fish involved are a lot larger. A mile or so off the coast, the continental shelf plunges from a depth of 90m to more than 1,000m. The abundant fishing grounds therein make Kaikoura the world's only permanent whale feeding ground, and people flock here to see the giant sperm whales that call it home. It is a humbling sight watching them feed, re-oxygenate and then dive, even if imagination is required to grasp the full scale of the beast; just a third of its 80ft length is visible. Walk the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway and discover seal and bird colonies along the coast.

Marlborough Wine Country The Marlborough region is known for its fine wine, beautiful scenery and a year-round sunny climate that regularly records the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand. Marlborough is New Zealand's largest grape growing and wine making region with 65 wineries, 290 grape growers and 4,054 hectares in grape production. Nearly all of the wineries welcome visitors for tasting sessions and many have a cafe or restaurant on site. Sauvignon Blanc is the region's specialty, but wines made with Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are also highly acclaimed.

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Hamner Springs This alpine spa town is home to one of the country's most picturesque outdoor thermal springs.

The Catlins This pristine wilderness area is a well-kept secret, with its unique flora and fauna, rainforest, waterfalls and beaches. Wildlife includes Hector’s dolphins, native fur seals and native yellow-eyed penguins.

Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula Founded by Scottish settlers, Dunedin has some impressive Victorian buildings. The nearby Otago Peninsula is rich in bird and marine life, including the world's only mainland albatross colony. Dunedin's known history dates back as far as 1100 AD with the arrival of the Maori to the area. Some 600 hundred years later Captain Cook stepped ashore the Otago Harbour. He alerted of the presence of the numerous seals in the area bringing sealers to the region. The port later became an international whalers port. The Scottish settlement and gold rush of the 1800s brought with it the stunning Edwardian and Victorian architecture that Dunedin is famous for. In 1848 The Lay Association of the Free Church of Scotland founded Dunedin as the principal town of its Scottish settlement. The name of 'Dunedin' originates from the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh—'Dùn Èideann'. Charles Kettle, Dunedin's surveyor, instructed to copy the characteristics of Edinburgh, the Scottish capital city, in the construction of Dunedin. The result has been described as 'both grand and quirky' as builders attempted to reconstruct Charles' vision across Dunedin's challenging landscape. Today Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university city, and is known as the centre of learning in New Zealand.

Banks Peninsula The country's only French settlement, historic Akaroa, is set at the tip of this scenic peninsula with its rolling hills, wineries and wildlife. The world's rarest dolphin, the Hector's, can be found in Akaroa Harbour.

Akaroa Step back into New Zealand's past in Akaroa, Canterbury's oldest village. You'll hear about Maori, whaling, French and British history. Natural history is another topic to explore—in summer you might even get the chance to swim with the world's rarest dolphin, the Hector's dolphin. Located on Banks Peninsula, about 1 1/2 hours cruisy drive from Christchurch is Akaroa, enjoy a harbour cruise from a choice of operaters, see the world’s smallest penguin, the worlds smallest dolphin, five species of cormorant, black-backed gulls, red-billed gulls, shearwaters, terns, prions, mollymawks, petrels, skuas, oystercatchers, albatross and more. Your cruise will also take you to the spectacular sea caves, volcanic formations, high cliffs and bird nesting sites both within the harbour and beyond the entrance.

Fiordland and the Sounds This spectacular area of drowned river valleys is best known for the 22km-long Milford Sound, with its tranquil waters and sheer peaks. Fiordland National Park, in the southwestern corner of the South Island. The area consists of steep glaciated valleys, clad in dense rain forests, surrounded by towering bluffs and snow capped mountains. The area is subject to a rainfall level exceeding 300 inches annually. As one of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of New Zealand, Fiordland has achieved World Heritage status and is often called the Sightseeing and Walking Capital of the world. Fiordland is one of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of New Zealand, Fiordland is often called the Sightseeing and Walking Capital of the world. The Fiordland National Park covers 1.2 million hectares and showcases dramatic wilderness on a grand scale. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into pristine, forested valleys, sheer-sided fiords slide gracefully into the sea, rare native birds and sea creatures go about their lives in a near-perfect world. Take a spectacular scenic flight over Fiordland National Park—either fixed wing or floatplane. View crystal clear lakes, glacier carved fiords and endless snow clad mountains. Cruise around Milford, Doubtful, Dusky or Breaksea Sounds and be awed by the pristine forest, sheer rock walls and tumbling waterfalls. Local inhabitants include bottlenose dolphins, New Zealand fur seals and Fiordland crested penguins. Or spend a day or a week on one of the many spectacular tracks, such as the Milford, Kepler, Routeburn, Hollyford or Dusky Tracks.

Queenstown New Zealand's beautiful adventure capital draws visitors year-round with its adrenalin-pumping outdoor activities, including bungee jumping, jet-boating on the Shotover River, whitewater rafting and skiing.Queenstown is the Southern Hemisphere's premiere four season alpine and lake resort. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and overlooked by the majestic Remarkables Range, Queenstown is the perfect destination all year round. Take a trip to Skippers Canyon to enjoy a mix of history and high adventure including bungy jumping, rafting, flying fox and jet boating. Go jet boating on the Shotover, Kawarau or Dart Rivers. Experience white-water rafting on the Shotover or Kawarau Rivers. Drift over Queenstown at dawn in a hot air balloon. Or test how brave you really are and bungy jump the Southern Hemisphere's highest land based bungy jump—The Nevis Highwire Bungy.For some slightly tamer entertainment, ride the gondola 450 metres above Queenstown to Bob's Peak to enjoy views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains. While there jump on the luge (a short raised toboggan for one person seated) and enjoy some great fun with your kids or friends.

Wanaka Embraced by the Southern Alps, Wanaka is Otago's second resort town after Queenstown. The crystal-clear waters of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand's fourth largest lake, reflect the snow-capped peaks of Mount Aspiring National Park. Here you can absorb the unstoppable beauty of pristine wilderness, and know that it will be easy to find a great restaurant for dinner.
Wings Over Wanaka Wanaka is an all-year holiday destination with a passion for aviation. Every second year Wanaka hosts the 'Warbirds Over Wanaka' show. It is classed as one of the best Warbird shows in the world and features historic aircraft, RNZAF jets, aerobatic formations and helicopters. If you can't wait for this, take a visit to the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum and see a collection of flyable World War II fighter aircraft.Wanaka is located on the southern shores of Lake Wanaka, in west Otago.

Southland Region A half hour drive south from Invercargill is the fishing port of Bluff—home to the famous Bluff oyster and the annual Bluff Oyster and Southland Seafood Festival. Once you've tasted a Bluff oyster, no other oyster will do! From Bluff, visitors can catch a ferry to Stewart Island. Southland also has large areas of near-pristine rainforest, ideal for day walks and hiking. Curio Bay on the Catlins Coast is one of the geological wonders of the world. This petrified forest of subtropical kauri and other trees dates back to the Jurassic age, 135 to 190 million years ago.

Stewart Island Bird watchers are drawn to the island because in one day—with a pelagic cruise, a visit to Ulva Island bird sanctuary and a kiwi spotting trip—it's possible to see more than 30 species. Bonus sightings on these trips include bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, sea lions and the occasional sea elephant. Five penguin species are found on the island—yellow-eyed, southern blue, rockhopper, Fiordland crested and Snares crested. Stewart Island is a paradise for hikers. It has about 245 kilometres of walking tracks, all of which can be accessed from Halfmoon Bay. The tracks range from short walks around the township area to epic journeys that require fitness, stamina and a large degree of self-reliance.