2 Best Sights in Otago, Invercargill, and Stewart Island, New Zealand

Galleries in an 1877 building are a throwback to Victorian times. The museum's first curator was a zoologist, and many of the original animals collected from 1868 are still on display in Animal Attic, a restored, magnificent, skylighted gallery. Southern Land, Southern People explores the cultural heritage of this region, and other galleries focus on Māori and Pacific Island artifacts, animal and insect specimens, and nautical items, including ship models and a whale skeleton. The Tropical Forest re-creates a humid jungle, complete with live butterflies and other tropical creatures.

The wild and exposed eastern tip of the Otago Peninsula is the site of a breeding colony of royal albatrosses. Among the largest birds in the world, with a wingspan of up to 10 feet, they can take off only from steep slopes with the help of a strong breeze. With the exception of this colony and those in the Chatham Islands to the east, the birds are only on windswept islands deep in southern latitudes, far from human habitation. Under the auspices of the Royal Albatross Centre, the colony is open for viewing all year, except during a two-month break between mid-September and mid-November when the birds lay their eggs; the visitor center is open year-round. The greatest number of birds is present shortly after the young albatrosses hatch near the end of January. Between March and September, parents leave the fledglings in their nests while they gather food for them. In September, the young birds fly away, returning about eight years later to start their own breeding cycle. Access to the colony is strictly controlled, and you must book in advance. From the visitor center you go in groups up a steep trail to the Albatross Observatory, from which you can see the birds through viewing windows.