Luxury holidays in South Island

The South Island boasts epic mountains, fjords and lakes, with world-class skiing and bungy-jumping in adrenalin capital Queenstown. Historic Christchurch and whale-watching hot spot Kaikoura offer more serene stays.

Destinations in South Island

  • The Ahuriri Valley is home to a scenic spectrum of alpine vistas, verdant wetlands and forest-clad hillsides.
  • Slung between the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Alps, New Zealand's second largest city offers a blend of old-English charm, contemporary dining and cutting-edge galleries.
  • There’s no denying the remote beauty of coastal Dunedin. And yet this South Island university city doesn’t let geography get in the way of its flourishing culinary and creative scenes.
  • At the north end of Lake Wakatipu, just a 40-minute drive from Queenstown yet seemingly a world away, you’ll find glacier-bordered Glenorchy – the city’s placid all-natural neighbour.
  • A name which translates as ‘meal of crayfish’ gives a taste of the scene in store. Lying midway between Christchurch and Picton on the spectacular South Island, the seaside town of Kaikoura is blessed with a soul-stirring surf-and-turf setting.
  • New Zealand’s largest wine- growing region, Marlborough, occupies the northeast corner of the South Island. Here, you’ll find world-class wine, dramatic coastal waterways and the sunniest climate in the country.
  • Three national parks, countless golden-sand beaches, assorted galleries and enough artisan markets to guarantee an overstuffed suitcase – there’s plenty to pack in to Nelson’s bountiful sunshine hours.
  • South Island’s secret cove, Pigeon Bay brings a breath of fresh air to farmsteads and rugged green hills. With strictly locavore dining and a breathtaking backdrop, this is the good life, New Zealand style.
  • Set on the banks of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is a picture-perfect town with a rich menu of restaurants and bars, amid a searingly beautiful mountain range setting.
  • Ski- and summer-resort-town Wanaka, in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island, is on the edge of its namesake lake.

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