South Island Towns
The South Island has many interesting townships apart from the main tourist centres of Christchurch and Queenstown. These include:
Kaikoura
Widely promoted as the whale-watching capital of New Zealand, this township of 2,000 has boomed over the past 30 years. It is now an integral stop on the east coast drive between Christchurch and Picton, where the ferry takes travellers to the North Island. Kaikoura is Maori for 'meal of crayfish' and no trip is complete without a decent feed of the shellfish which can be bought from cafes, restaurants and roadside trailers.
Oxford
If you want a lovely example of a rural town, visit Oxford about 50km from Christchurch. With only 1,500 population, the town has won New Zealand's most beautiful small town title and offers those passing through plenty of interesting places to visit, including possibly the only purple town hall building in the world.
New Brighton
If you visit Christchurch, take time to go to the seaside and stroll along the pier at New Brighton - the longest such pier in the country. It's a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, especially in summer, and New Brighton offers a large, clean beach.
Hokitika
This township on the west coast of the South Island was at the centre of New Zealand's goldrush in the 1860s. Since then, its fortunes have depended variously on the mining of gold, coal and greenstone, as well as forestry. Hokitika relishes its reputation as the home of the wild west coast and hosts many interesting stops for tourists - even a museum of socks!
Glenorchy
If you are visiting Queenstown, leave a day aside for a drive around Lake Wakatipu to the beautiful township of Glenorchy which greets visitors with a sign: Welcome To Paradise. And the few locals lucky enough to live in this spot are not guilty of overstatement - it truly is a beautiful place. The hour-long drive between Glenorchy and Queenstown is full of photograph opportunities.
Tuatapere
The 650 residents of this rural Southland town consider they live in New Zealand's 'sausage capital', courtesy of a small but well-known sausage maker. Their other claims to fame include being the closest town to the largest viaduct in the Southern Hemisphere.
Oban, Stewart Island
Oban is the only town on the island of Stewart Island, with most of the island's 400 population living there. Tourists can get there by air or ferry from Bluff, at the bottom of the south island. The island's 28km of road provides plenty of scenery and exercise for walkers and those who take bikes across. Fishing (mainly for blue cod) is a main attraction for tourists. Check out the chain sculpture which symbolically connects Stewart Island to the South Island, with corresponding sculpture at Bluff.