The South islandNew Zealand is determined by the Southern Alps, a mountain range almost 4000 meters high. On the west coast, this steep slope slopes down to the sea and cold rainforest can be found in the valleys. New Zealand's most famous wine-growing regions are located in the wide plains that stretch between the mountains and the east coast.
Regions
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The South Island of New Zealand is divided into 7 official regions:
| Canterbury | |
| Marlborough | |
| Nelson | |
| Otago | |
| Southland | |
| Tasman | |
| West coast |
places
- 1 Christchurch
- Is the largest city on the South Island and has an international airport that is also served from overseas. - 2 Dunedin
- 3 Greymouth - is the largest city on the west coast.
- 4 Invercargill
- 5 Nelson
- 6 Queenstown - The Mecca of fun sports. This is where (commercial) bungee jumping was invented. In winter, Queenstown is a popular ski area.
- 7 Wanaka - Is the quiet counterpart to Queenstown located on the lake of the same name.
Other goals
- Abel Tasman National Park
- Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
- Milford Sound
- Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (Westland National Park)
background
The South Island of New Zealand with approx. 150,000 km² is significantly larger than the North Island with approx. 113,000 km², but only about 1 million people live on the South Island compared to 3.3 million on the North Island. In the Maori language is the official name of the island Te Wai-pounamu, this means "jade water". Often the name "Te Waka-a-Māui" is also used (Canoe of the demigod Māui) used. The expression Te Wahipounamu sounds similar, it means Jade place.
In the southwest part of the island that is Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. The area is made up of the Fiordland National Park, the Mount Aspiring National Park, the Mount Cook National Park, the Westland National Park as well as some other smaller protected areas. It has been part of the World Natural Heritage by Unesco.
language
There are 3 official languages in New Zealand: English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language.
getting there
By plane
International airports are in on the South Island Christchurch and Dunedin, the airport in Queenstown is mainly served from Australia in the winter season. Otherwise, every major city has a national airport. The regular service is mostly served by smaller regional companies.
By boat
The connection of the North and South Island via the Cook Strait essentially takes place with the ferries from Wellington to Picton.
The largest ferry company is the Interislander, their ferries Kaitaki (up to 1650 passengers), Arahura (970 pass.) And Aratere (360 Pass.) Need around 3 hours for the crossing. These ships take about 1 hour to drive out of Wellington Harbor, another takes the trip on the open sea, and the scenic journey through Marlborough Sound takes another 1 hour. You should be in the terminal about 1 hour before departure, vehicles better two hours before. A reservation is on-line possible and highly recommended.
The second major ferry company is Bluebridge, their ships Santa Regina and Monte Stello hold approx. 370 passengers each.
mobility
Rail transport
The sparsely populated South Island has two railroad lines for passenger traffic. For one thing, it is the Tranzcoastal, it runs once a day between Christchurch and Picton along the east coast. The second line is that Tranzalpine, which also takes place once a day on the spectacular route between Christchurch and Greymouth drives across the New Zealand Alps.
In addition to the two routes above, there are also numerous rail routes that are only used to transport goods. There are also a few branch lines that run sporadically as museum railways. They have one thing in common: the level crossings are mostly unsecured.
By bus
In addition to the nationwide operating bus companies, some companies only maintain their lines on the South Island, e.g. Atomic Shuttles.
By car
The main traffic lines are the SH 1that of Picton out along the east coast over Christchurch and Dunedin until after Invercargill goes and the SH 6, he goes from Blenheim above Nelson to Westport, then up the west coast Haast and finally through Southland to Invercargill. Other important links are the SH 73 of Christchurch above Arthur's Pass to Greymouth and the SH 8 of Timaru above Twizel, Cromwell and Alexandra to Balclutha. Even if SH For State Highway there are hardly any roads with more than 2 lanes outside of town on the South Island. For cross-country trips, you should expect an average speed of 60 km / h as the upper limit.
Tourist Attractions
activities
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
Climate of Hokitika
| Climate of Christchurch
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There is a clear difference between the wet west coast and the dry east coast.
literature
Web links
- Travelink Online reservation of ferries, buses, mobile homes
