Invercargill

Invercargill, the most southerly city in New Zealand, was built in the late 19th and early 20th century, and its wide streets and century old buildings give the visitor a unique feeling of stepping back in time to when business was conducted in a more sedate and considered manner and the streets were (figuratively) paved with Central Otago gold. Invercargill is the main centre of the Southland region, and the service city for the farms of the fertile Southland plains. It is also the most westerly city in New Zealand, due to the South Island's south-west and north-east axis.

Understand
Invercargill is named after William Cargill, Superintendent of Otago Province from 1853 to 1859, when Southland was part of Otago Province.

Invercargill has a population of about 51,000.

Many of the central city streets are named after rivers of Scotland and northern England.

Visitor information

 * Southland
 * Invercargill City Council

By bus
InterCity runs daily services between Invercargill and Gore and Queenstown, with transfers to/from other places. Catch-a-Bus provides a daily minibus service from Dunedin and will pick you up at your door; they also have a less frequent service from Queenstown or Te Anau.

By car
Heading south from Dunedin you can follow State Highway 1 to Invercargill, taking about two and a half hours. Alternatively you can turn off SH 1 at Balclutha and follow the Southern Scenic Route, often called SH 92, through the Catlins. While only half an hour longer to drive, you might allow a day for this trip at there's plenty of natural attractions to see.

From Queenstown, Invercargill is about two and a half hours south on SH 6.

From Te Anau, you can head south to Clifden, then follow SH 99 through Riverton, taking about two and a quarter hours in total.

By plane
is about 3 km from Invercargill's Central Business District. It is served by Air New Zealand with flights from Christchurch and Wellington. A flight from Christchurch to Invercargill takes about an hour in a turboprop aircraft. On a clear day the flight is spectacular, with the Southern Alps to the west of the flight path. If flying south to Invercargill be sure to request a window seat on the right or starboard side of the aircraft (request port or left if flying out to Christchurch.) Mount Cook, which is visible about half way through the flight, is merely the biggest of the many massive peaks of the Southern Alps. A direct flight from Wellington takes around 2 and a half hours.

Stewart Island Flights makes three 20-minute flights a day from Stewart Island.

By bus
There are four bus routes serving the city. Buses run every 45 minutes between 6:45AM and 6PM on weekdays and between 10:30AM and 3PM on a Saturday.

See
Because of its southerly location, Invercargill's a good place to view the aurora australis or Southern Lights, unless you fancy an expensive and uncomfortable sojourn on one of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. It's not ideally located for seeing them and travellers should not expect a display every night, but the magnetic pole's offset helps and it's certainly a lot cheaper than taking a boat into Antarctic waters. However, the city's night skies are not exactly dark, so you might want to take a flight or boat to nearby Stewart Island or just drive out into the surrounding countryside.

Central business district
The central business district is bounded by Leven, Tay, Daveron, and Gala streets, and the main activity is centred on the intersection of Esk and Kelvin streets. Esk Street is the main shopping street, running from Don Street to a little east of Kelvin Street. The west end of Esk Street is anchored by Wachner Place, while the main pedestrian area ends at about the Invercargill City Council offices midway between Kelvin and Deveron streets.



Motoring Museums
Invercargill has established itself as a motoring hub on the basis of being the home of Burt Munro, record-setting motorcyclist. Along with a statue of Burt in his "World's Fastest Indian" at the south end of Queens Park, there are also some great museums:

Go next
Invercargill can be a base to explore southern New Zealand.
 * Bluff – a small town about 30 km south of Invercargill, at the bottom of the South Island, and the closest place on the mainland to Antarctica
 * Stewart Island is New Zealand's third largest island and is visible from Invercargill and many parts of surrounding Southland. You can either fly from Invercargill Airport or take a ferry from Bluff.
 * The Catlins
 * Mataura – on State Highway 1 heading north-east
 * Fiordland, Milford Sound, Queenstown