South Island Luxury

... lodges, hotels, B&Bs and activities...

Fourteen regions of South Island Luxury...

Nelson

Nelson is known for its year-round sun, golden beaches, three national parks, 350 working artists, and boutique wineries.

The city of Nelson (population 52,000) is named after Admiral Lord Nelson of Battle of Trafalgar fame. The main commercial centre for the region, it is known for its historical streetscapes, waterfront cafes, fresh seafood, and a thoroughly relaxed lifestyle.

Nelson's artists include carvers, glassblowers, painters, potters and weavers. Their work can be seen by following any of the 13 craft trails that also take in Nelson's most attractive rural settlements.

Within the sheltering confines of Tasman Bay, Nelson's beaches are safe, with silvery sand. Further afield, you'll find Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand's smallest, a coastal wonderland of sea, sky, rocky headlands and bright golden beaches.

The Nelson Lakes National Park is set amidst the mountains and glaciated valleys of south Nelson, and features beech forests and the beautiful jewel-like lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa. Kahurangi, the country's second-largest national park comprises 450,000ha of mostly upland wilderness, with magnificent three to four-day hiking trails.

And the lodges? Some of the finest of the South Island's luxury accommodation is right here:

Marlborough

Sunny and dry, Marlborough is sheltered by nearby hills and mountains. With the country's largest area of vineyards, Marlborough's major attraction is vineyard visits, wine tasting and cafes. To the north, the sheltered, drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds are a boating and fishing paradise.

Visitors may fly direct to Blenheim, Marlborough's main town, or take the ferries from Wellington to Picton, the local port in Queen Charlotte Sound.

This quaint waterfront village is the starting point for an idyllic marine playground, indented with many secluded coves, pristine beaches and sheltered waterways.

With 1500km of shoreline, Marlborough offers unlimited opportunities for cruising, sailing, diving and fishing.

With accommodation to match:

West Coast

The West Coast is a wild and sparsely populated region with some of the most dramatic scenery in New Zealand.

It is an area of soaring mountain peaks, impressive glaciers, tranquil lakes and raging rivers, lush rainforest and a magnificent coastline that stretches for 600km. Most of its natural environment is still intact and preserved in national parks designated as World Heritage Areas.

The Coast's reputation for hospitality is legendary - "coasters" display a sincere friendliness and strength of character as unique as their surroundings.

The West Coast region offers a variety of short scenic walks and hiking opportunities, as well as exciting adventure activities for all ages and levels of competence. Try rafting a subterranean stream through a weird world of stalactites, stalagmites and glow-worms.

Between Westport and Greymouth is a wild, ruggedly beautiful coastline that features the unique Pancake Rocks and blow holes at Punakaiki. Anglers will find they are in paradise anywhere on the coast.

The luxury lodges can be fairly counted among the best the South Island has to offer:

Canterbury

The Christchurch hinterland of highly productive farmlands extends from the silvery beaches of the east coast to the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps on the western horizon. It offers many opportunities for fresh and exciting activities and attractions.

Step back into Maori, whaling, French and British history in Akaroa - Canterbury's oldest village.

Two hours north of Christchurch is Kaikoura, where the mountains meet the sea - one of the few places where you can see the giant sperm whale. To the northwest lies Hanmer Springs, a scenic alpine and thermal village.

Inland from Christchurch lie the magnificent Southern Alps - only an hour from the city. The village of Arthurs Pass makes an ideal base for all kinds of activities.

Experience the TranzAlpine rail trip - one of the world's most spectacular train journeys that takes you from Christchurch to Greymouth.

South of Christchurch lies the Ashburton and Timaru districts. Ashburton District is home to all kinds of exciting activities like skiing, hot air ballooning and salmon fishing. Timaru district features many attractive towns, rolling green hills, lush pasture and braided rivers.

And the lodges...:

Christchurch

Alive with colour, atmosphere and world-class attractions, Christchurch is a graceful city that values its culture and heritage. The South Island's largest city (population 337,000), and main international gateway, is a vibrant, cosmopolitan place with exciting festivals, theatre, modern art galleries, great shopping, award-winning attractions and a host of activities.

It has all the amenities of a modern city, but is still very much a regional centre serving the rich rural hinterland, Canterbury, with a laid-back pace to life. Its Gothic revival cathedral, grey-stone nineteenth century buildings, tree-lined avenues and extensive leafy parks have preserved the grace and charm of an earlier era.

The city is full of delights, from the beautiful neo-gothic Arts Centre, to the historic tram which loops the city centre, to the Christchurch Gondola and unique attractions like the International Antarctic Centre. The shopping is superb and the restaurants are a celebration of fresh, natural New Zealand foods and fine wines.

Lodges and Boutique Hotels include:

Mt Cook-MacKenzie

At 3,754m Mount Cook (its Maori name is Aoraki) is New Zealand's highest mountain. It towers above a splendid cast of massive snow-clad peaks that make up Mount Cook National Park. Nudging one side of Mt Cook is the mighty Tasman Glacier, a 30km giant and one of the longest outside the Himalayas.

Mount Cook village is an easy five-hour drive from Christchurch. We recommend visitors take the route from Christchurch to Fairlie, gateway to the Mackenzie Country. From here the road passes through a land of lakes, vast open spaces and golden, tussock-covered hills rolling towards the towering Southern Alps.

On the way you will pass turquoise glacial lakes such as Lake Tekapo, on whose shores is the stone Church of the Good Shepherd, which has a spectacular view of the Southern Alps framed by its altar window.

Scenic flights from Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook afford breathtaking views over the Southern Alps and countryside, with ski-plane landings on the Tasman Glacier providing an unforgettable experience. All ski options are available, including heli-skiing and ski touring, and guides are available for climbing.

Glorious mountain walks to suit every degree of fitness show off the park's rich flora, including the Mount Cook "lily", the largest buttercup in the world.

There is but one lodge here:

Matuka Lodge

Wanaka

Hemmed in by the Southern Alps, Wanaka is Otago's second resort after Queenstown. The crystal-clear waters of New Zealand's fourth-largest lake reflect the snow-capped peak of Mt Aspiring, towering above a magnificent glacier-sculpted wilderness.

The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum at Skyshow Centre has the largest collection of airworthy World War Two fighters in the Southern Hemisphere. These 'old warbirds' take to the skies every other Easter, attracting admirers from far and wide. Mt Aspiring National Park is renowned for fishing, climbing and hiking, including possibly the best collection of half-day walks in the country.

In the nearby mountains are internationally rated skifields Cardrona, Treble Cone, the Waiorau Nordic Ski Area, and Harris Mountains Heliskiing - one of the largest operations of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere

Exclusive South Island accommodation is provided by:

Aoturoa Lodge
Bluewater Lodge
Bremner Bay
Lakeside Apartments
Maungawera Lodge
Minaret Lodge
Sunrise Bay
Villa South Pacific
Whare Kea Lodge
Zingara Lodge at Cardrona Terrace Estate

Queenstown

Queenstown is New Zealand's year-round alpine destination, where you can be as active as you like or just leisurely soak up the magnificent scenery. It has been judged one of the top 25 cities in the world by a leading travel magazine.

There are year-round action-packed thrills such as jetboating on the Kawarau or Shotover rivers, where these amazing New Zealand-invented craft execute seemingly impossible manoeuvres. Queenstown is also the world capital and home of bungy jumping.

In winter, pristine powder runs are just over the hills. There are four world-renowned ski fields within easy reach, with tons of snow to ski, snowboard and play in.

On nearby Lake Wakatipu, the vintage TSS Earnslaw has been beautifully restored to its original condition and takes visitors on daily trips.

And when it all gets too much, Queenstown features the finest of South Island luxury accommodation. Including the award-winning Blanket Bay:

Otago

Otago is often called the golden country due to its goldmining associations, vivid autumn colours and apricot orchards. The Central Otago region is the only of New Zealand's regions to experience a continental climate, having the hottest summers and coldest winters in New Zealand.

Old trails that provided access for thousands of miners in the gold rush of the 1860s can still be seen winding over the hills, along with stone cottages, cleverly-engineered water channels, mines and machinery associated with the gold rush.

Alexandra, the main town on the Clutha River is the centre for stone fruit, particularly golden apricots. The towns of Alexandra, Clyde and Cromwell are ideal bases from which to explore the surrounding historic countryside.

Luxury accommodation at:

Kuri Downs
Rocky Range Lodge

Dunedin

Dunedin, with a population of 112,000, is the South Island's second-largest city and the commercial centre for the Otago region. Its name is the old Gaelic one for Edinburgh - appropriate since the city was established by Scottish Presbyterians. It is a gracious city whose numerous grand nineteenth-century and Edwardian buildings are unrivalled anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dunedin's architectural heritage has provided the city with some notable buildings, including the train station, town hall, university and many churches. There are also special former private residences worth noting including Olveston, a Jacobean-style family home and Glenfalloch, surrounded by 12 hectares of woodland garden. Neo-Gothic Larnach Castle represents the finest of nineteenth century craftsmanship.

A natural attraction on the Otago Peninsula is the abundant wildlife, only a 15-20 minute drive from the central business district. Nature and wildlife tour companies run daily excursions to view fur seals, endangered yellow-eyed penguin, cormorants and albatross. Nowhere else in the world does the largest of the world's sea birds live within such easy human access.

Further north on the Otago coast is Oamaru, known for the grand white stone buildings of its old harbourside precinct. On Moeraki Beach, about halfway between Oamaru and Dunedin are the unique, perfectly round Moeraki Boulders, which weigh up to four tons each.

Exclusive accommodation:

Fiordland

Te Anau is the gateway to the world-famous Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage Area covering nearly 1.2 million hectares. Fiordland represents nature on a grand scale, where waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into pristine, forested valleys, and glacier-carved fiords indent its coastal boundaries.

The road to Milford Sound, which traverses Fiordland National Park below massive peaks and bluffs, is considered one of the finest alpine drives in the world. Arriving at Milford, visitors are confronted by the most famous of New Zealand icons - the majestic Mitre Peak.

As roads provide access to only a relatively small part of Fiordland, flightseeing provides one of the best ways to really appreciate this vast wilderness. Flights are available from either Te Anau or Milford. Taking the road one way and flying the other adds variety.

Fiordland National Park also contains five of the country's best-known hiking trails, ranging from one-and-a-half-day nature walks to three-day walks on well-established tracks. Other activities in the Te Anau area include sea kayaking, diving, cycling, golf, fishing, sailing, swimming, hunting and visits to spectacular glow-worm caves.

If you have time to cruise the sounds, you will be surrounded by mountain peaks and towering sheer granite cliffs from which spectacular waterfalls plunge to the sea below. This is the realm of playful bottlenose dolphins, fur seals and gulls. Milford Sound is the most famous, but Doubtful Sound - the deepest - is also easily accessible.

Visitors to this vast, remote area, practically untouched by humans, are often overwhelmed by the incredible solitude and serenity of Fiordland.

Recover at:

Southland

Southland's lush, green pastoral lands are among the richest in the country, a strong contrast to dry Central Otago further north. There are many farmstay options available in this region for those looking for a real Kiwi experience.

The region's largest urban centre is Invercargill, a city of 49,000, with many elegant Victorian and Edwardian buildings, gardens and landscaped parks. Like Dunedin to the north, Scots also settled Invercargill. Invercargill has an excellent art gallery and museum with high-tech audio/visual displays based on the flora and fauna of New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands. It also has a unique live display of the tuatara, a lizard-like reptile related to the dinosaur, that is native to New Zealand.

On the coast, the Catlins Forest Park is a place of hidden waterfalls and river valleys, where native forest meets the water's edge. Rocky bays, inlets and estuaries make up some of the region's most magnificent coastal scenery.

Unspoilt in its isolation, Stewart Island across Foveaux Strait is the third largest island making up New Zealand. For anyone seeking peace and tranquillity, Stewart Island is the ultimate spot. There are superb bush walks and great launch cruises around some of New Zealand's most beautiful coastline.

Luxury accommodation is supplied by:

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