Upper South Island and the West Coast

Surreal is the immediate impression upon reaching South Island: the mellow, green beauty of the North Island has been replaced by jagged snowcapped mountains and rivers that sprawl across vast, rocky shingle beds.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.

The Marlborough province occupies the northeast corner, where the inlets of the Marlborough Sounds flow around verdant peninsulas and sandy coves. Marlborough is now the largest wine-growing region in New Zealand, with more than 27,000 acres of vineyards. It's a relatively dry and sunny area, and in summer the inland plains look like the American West, with mountains rising out of grassy flats.

The northwest corner of the island, the Nelson region, is a sporting paradise with a relatively mild climate that allows a year-round array of outdoor activities. Sun-drenched Nelson, a lively town with fine restaurants and a vibrant network of artists and craftspeople, is the gateway to an area surrounded by national parks and hiking tracks (trails). Abel Tasman National Park, to the west of the city, is ringed with spectacularly blue waters studded with golden beaches and craggy rocks. To the southwest is Kahurangi National Park, home of the Heaphy Track, one of the world's Great Walks; Nelson Lakes National Park with its alpine lakes and snowcapped peaks lies to the south.

After the gentler climes of Marlborough and Nelson, the wild grandeur of the West Coast comes as a surprise. This is Mother Nature with her hair down, flaying the coastline with huge seas and drenching rains and littering its beaches with acres of bleached driftwood. When it rains, you feel like you're inside a fishbowl; then the sun bursts out, and you swear you're in paradise. (Always check local conditions before heading out for an excursion.) It's a country that has created a special breed of people, and the rough-hewn and powerfully independent locals—known to the rest of the country as Coasters—occupy a special place in New Zealand folklore.

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