Upper South Island and the West Coast Travel Guide
- Overview
- Places to Explore
- Sights
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Travel Tips
- Features
- Fodor's Choice
- Deals
- Guidebooks
Photo: Ian Trafford/Tourism New Zealand
Surreal is the immediate impression upon reaching the South Island: the mellow green beauty of the North Island has been replaced by jagged snowcapped mountains and rivers that sprawl across vast, rocky shingle beds. The South Island has been carved by ice and water, a process still rapidly occurring. Minor earthquakes rattle a number of places on the island every month—and residents are so used to them they often barely notice.
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
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
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.
Travel Deals in Upper South Island and the West Coast
- Sale on Worldwide Flights (R/T incl. Tax) CheapOair.com
- New Zealand Tours & Vacations, Save up to 40% Tourism New Zealand
- Asia and South Pacific Fare Sale (R/T w/Tax) — $854 CheapOair.com
- New Zealand Tours & Vacations, Save up to 40% — $79 Tourism New Zealand
Upper South Island and the West Coast Experiences
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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
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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
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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
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Towering granite cliffs and stacks of pancake rocks, dark tannin-stained rivers edged by virgin kahikatea forest, karst landscapes riddled with... Read more
Travel Blog
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Practical Travel Tips
New Zealand's Christchurch has been hit by several earthquakes over the past year but most of the city—and Read more
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Best of the Best
From the massive landmass of Australia to the islands of New Zealand, the South Pacific has many unique Read more
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Practical Travel Tips
For many, a trip to the South Pacific—dotted with over 20,000 total landmasses, large and small—is Read more
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70° F Cloudy 45% Humidity Feb 11, 2012 at 10:00PMCheck historic weather for your trip dates
Arriving:· Forums Trip Reports
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First of all, thanks to all of you Fodorites on the Australia & Pacific Forum for your aid during the planning of this trip. Read more
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As usual I've ummed and ahhhed about whether to do this report, this time because we didn't actually 'do' a lot. Read more
·New Zealand Forum
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Will be in New Zealand around December 17. Read more
