Invercargill is known as both 'the friendly city' and Southland's 'garden city'. Southland's major service centre, in Invercargill you can indulge your leisure pursuits with a healthy dose of retail therapy or physical pursuits. A truly beautiful city, as you stroll around you will find outstanding historic buildings, vibrant gardens and contemporary sculptures lining the wide-open streets.

The city also boasts a wide array of nightlife options including buzzing caf's, stylish bars and quality restaurants.

On the grounds of the central Queens Park Garden, the city hosts the Southland Museum with its live tuataras (a native New Zealand reptile). Shearing South, located in the city centre, is a tribute to the tough shearing industry. Invercargill's port at Bluff ranks high among the nations leading export outlets and is known for the delicious Bluff Oyster.

Situated across the Foveaux Strait from Bluff, Stewart Island is known for its' "unhurried" pace of life and most of the island is now covered by reserves for the preservation of scenery, flora and fauna. A scheduled catamaran ferry links Bluff to Halfmoon Bay, and Stewart Island Flights give day trippers an opportunity to explore the island.

Invercargill's location on the famed Southern Scenic Route, makes it a great base to explore the unparalleled magnificence of Southland and Fiordland. Within a few hours you can drive between deserted beaches, picturesque waterfalls, and large reserves of native bush, cave-pitted cliffs and magnificent lakes.

West of Southland the immense World Heritage Fiordland National Park takes in the whole southwest corner of New Zealand, containing the beautiful fresh water glacier lakes, Te Anau and Manapouri, and the glacier cut sea fiords such as breathtaking Milford Sound, which can be appreciated from aircraft, boats or the several fine walking tracks.