This guest post is by Brenda Richman, a Kansas City-based small business consultant.
New Zealand’s South Island lies across the narrow strip of water separating it from the North Island, Cook Strait, which is among the world’s roughest stretches of water. South Island stretches south and west for 500 miles.
A geological fault rises along the rugged western coast to create the magnificent Southern Alps mountain chain and divide the island for most of its length. The highest peak is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 12,316 ft, with seventeen additional peaks of more than 9800 ft each.
The South Island contains an incredible variety of natural scenery – lofty mountains, flanked by icy glaciers, subtropical rain forests, awesome coastal fiords, alpine lakes bordered by thick forests, and beaches.
Rugged, rainy West Coast
The climate in the South Island has more distinct seasonal than the North Island. The west coast is extremely wet in contrast to the semi-arid east central coast around Christchurch. The south and south-western parts are cooler and cloudier, the north and north-eastern parts are sunnier.
The dramatic landscape of the South Island has made it a popular film location, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Only about 23% of NZ’s 4.4 million people live on sparsely populated South Island. With an area of 58,000 square miles, it is the world’s 12th largest island. Of its roughly one million people, half live in the two major cities. Christchurch, population 383,000, is centered on the east coast, and Dunedin, population 118,000, lies further south on the east coast.
Tourism is one of two major forces in South Island’s economy. Popular activities include sightseeing, adventure tourism, such as glacier climbing, river rafting and Bungee jumping, hiking, kayaking, flying onto glaciers by ski-plane, snow skiing and camping. Numerous hiking trails, such as the Milford Track, have huge international recognition.
6 Gorgeous Destinations to Explore in New Zealand’s South Island:
Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mount Tasman and Fox Glacier by Andrew Turner.
1) Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park – An alpine park, containing New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook, and its longest glacier, Tasman Glacier. A focus for mountaineering, ski touring and scenic flights, the park is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Together, the Mount Cook and Westland National Parks have been declared a World Heritage Site.
Milford Sound, New Zealand
2) Fiordland National Park – The largest national park in New Zealand and one of the largest in the world. The grandeur of its scenery, with its deep fiords, its glacial lakes, its mountains and waterfalls, has earned it international recognition as a world heritage area.
The South Island has 15 fiords (called Sounds instead of fiords) all located in Fiordland. Milford Sound has been judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards by Trip Advisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination.
A number of alpine lakes also fill glacial valleys. Lake Te Anau, one of the largest of these, has three western arms which are fiords. Beautiful Lake Tekapo has gorgeous historic Church of the Good Shepherd on its shore in honor of the pioneers who homesteaded the remote Mackenzie Country.
Abel Tasman National Park Beach. Photo by Hector Garcia
3) Abel Tasman National Park – On the northwest end of the island, it has numerous tidal inlets and beaches of golden sand along the shores of Tasman Bay.
4) Westland Tai Poutini National Park – extends from the highest peaks of the Southern Alps to the wild remote coastline. The park has glaciers, including the famous Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, scenic lakes and dense rainforest, plus remains of old gold mining towns.
Bungee Jumping at Queenstown. Photo by Will Ellis.
5) Queenstown – A resort town built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu known for its commerce-oriented tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism.
6) Kaikoura – For wildlife viewing, whales, dolphins, and seabirds
There are more sheep than people in New Zealand.
Agriculture is the second major force in South Island’s economy. Wool used to be the major agricultural export. Since the 1960s wool has steadily decreased while dairy farming has increased to become the largest export. Meat, fruit and fish and wine are the other major agricultural export products.
Of all the places I’ve explored so far, New Zealand’s South Island has been the most astoundingly beautiful. Where’s the most beautiful place you’re ever visited? Please share below in comments.
Check out these resources on New Zealand’s South Island:
Entrepreneur Brenda Richman has a passion for experiencing the world through travel adventures.
Learn more about Brenda’s travel experiences here, and her consulting work helping businesses increase market penetration and enhance the quality of their client experiences here.
Other posts on New Zealand that you might enjoy:
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Maori Traditional Dance 
Aerial view of Rotorua. Photo by 
