Upper South Island and the West Coast Travel Guide

Guidebooks

Fodor's New Zealand
Trade Paperback

Photo: Ian Trafford/Tourism New Zealand

The South Island has been carved by ice and water, a process still rapidly occurring. Here, the mellow green beauty of the North Island is replaced by jagged snowcapped mountains and rivers that sprawl across vast, rocky shingle beds.

Upper South Island and the West Coast Hotels

Bed-and-breakfasts, farm stays, and homestays, all a variation on the same theme, abound in the South Island in some spectacular coastal and mountain environments...read more

Fodor's Choice

Upper South Island and the West Coast Restaurants

In Marlborough visit a winery restaurant—there's no better way to ensure that your meal suits what you're drinking. Salmon and Greenshell mussels...read more

Fodor's Choice

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Things To Do in Upper South Island and the West Coast

Explore the best sights, entertainment, and shopping with our top choices and insider tips.

Sights

Herzog
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$1298* -- New Zealand 'Spring' Fares from West Coast, R/T Air New Zealand

* Some taxes, fees additional

Upper South Island and the West Coast Experiences

Top Reasons to Go to Upper South Island and the West Coast

Mountains and Glaciers: The South Island is piled high with mountains that divide the island lengthwise. You can walk or ski them, or catch a... Read more
Abel Tasman National Park

Golden sand, sheltered bays, and granite headlands are washed by clear blue water and fast-moving tides; rocky inshore islands provide habitat... Read more
Kahurangi National Park

Kahurangi is a vast wilderness area of deep river valleys, thick beech forest, and high marble mountains. Helicopters are dwarfed by house-sized... Read more
Nelson Lakes National Park

Snow-covered peaks and high alpine passes loom over two deep brooding lakes. Dense native forest, swampy wetlands, and tumbling rivers line the... Read more
Paparoa National Park

Towering granite cliffs and stacks of pancake rocks, dark tannin-stained rivers edged by virgin kahikatea forest, karst landscapes riddled with... Read more
Westland National Park

Gigantic blocks of ice tumbling off the glacier face; ice fields higher up the glacier, their blue ice sparkling in the sunlight; rugged peaks... Read more

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