Christchurch – Marlborough Sounds – Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks) – Fox Glacier - Wanaka – Doubtful/Milford Sound – Dunedin – Aoraki/Mount Cook – Christchurch.
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park located along its banks. The trams, the gondola and punting on the Avon River are all very popular tourist attractions. Akaora, a French settlement, is only an 80 minute drive where you can explore marine nature at its finest.
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds are connected to Cook Strait at the north-east extreme. At this point, the North Island is at its closest to the South Island, and the inter-island road, rail, and passenger ferry service between Picton and Wellington travels through the sounds.
Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, between Westport and Greymouth. The community lies on the edge of the Paparoa National Park.The Pancake Rocks are a very popular tourist destination at Dolomite Point south of the main village. The Pancake Rocks are a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through several vertical blowholes during high tides.
Fox Glacier is a 13-kilometre-long (8.1 mi) temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Fox Glacier is primarily a service centre for tourists, although it also services the local farming community. The town is served by the Fox Glacier Aerodrome.
Wanaka is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wanaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is primarily a resort town with both summer and winter seasons. Its economy is based on the many outdoor opportunities this offers.
Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. Tourism and farming are the predominant economic activities in the area. Lying as it does at the borders of Fiordland National Park, it is the gateway to a wilderness area famed for tramping and spectacular scenery. Many tourists come to Te Anau to visit the famous nearby fiords Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch). aThe urban area of Dunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, surrounding the head of Otago Harbour, and the harbour and hills around Dunedin are the remnants of an extinct volcano. The city suburbs extend out into the surrounding valleys and hills, onto the isthmus of the Otago Peninsula, and along the shores of the Otago Harbour and the Pacific Ocean.
Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height is listed as 3,724 metres (12,218 feet). It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers.
