Top Things to do in Southland Region
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What to do and see in Southland Region, South Island: The Best Bodies of Water
Discover the best top things to do in Southland Region, New Zealand including Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound, Te Anau Glowworm Caves, Toetoes Bay, Lake Te Anau, Mavora Lakes Park, Ivan Wilson Park, Colac Bay, Lake Gunn, Manapouri Lake.
Restaurants in Southland Region
1. Doubtful Sound
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,296 reviews
Reviewed By Nalacoops1950
Go Orange provide a very professional, organised service and meet their promise of a trip with small numbers on a comfortable boat. Travis and Karina were the guide and.captain for the day, both being amusing, knowledgeable and enthusiastic in making it enjoyable for all, The trip across lake Manapouri is a great start to the day, followed by an interesting bus ride to the harbour. Karina made a few stops showing interesting place on the way. The 3 hours sailing the Sound is full of spectacular mountains, waterfalls and scenery all around. Time passed quickly and at the end you have the pleasure of reversing the bus journey and Manapouri lake crossing to look forward to. It is not a cheap trip but does provide the small personal tour promised in a comfortable boat with enough personal space to view the Sound. We would certainly do the trip again and would recommend it to others. Thanks for a superb and memorable day
2. Milford Sound
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,688 reviews
Reviewed By EugenioA193 - Singapore, Singapore
The tour we take starts from Queenstown to milford Sound national park, ee contract our tour with #southerndiscoveries and starting wit our guide and driver Greg, we feel safe with Greg due to the weather conditions on the road, slippery road with snow and Etc, the trip Magic all the information along the road Greg gave us, we arrive on time and the service incredible all the logistics without a mistake, we arrive the ship and start the trip beautiful sights and all incredible until we returned to Queenstown Safe and Happy, magic experience is a must on the south Island in New Zealand
3. Te Anau Glowworm Caves
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,476 reviews
Visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves - an underground network of limestone caves lit by hundreds of glowworms. In the darkness they produce a glittering display. Carved out by the force of the river, the underground world is surprisingly beautiful with whirlpools and roaring waterfalls. Begin with a scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau and then our nature guides will take you in groups through the caves and then in a small boat into the grotto. Departs Te Anau.
Reviewed By 554michaelr554 - Umina Beach, Australia
I know there are many sites around the world you can see glowworms but this tour is so different. Harry (Potter) our guide was full of very interesting information on all things glowworm and also provided a lot of information on the formation of the underground caves,. After a short walk through the cave we reached an underground jetty where we stepped into a small dinghy and in complete darkness Harry used a wall mounted chain to pull us along a section filled with glowworms. What an absolutely marvellous experience. Once back at the kiosk we were given a short slideshow lecture on the life and times of the glowworm, overall a fantastic experience. I should add that the boat ride to the glowworms was also interesting with informative information on Lake Te Anau as well as a slight detour along the way to highlight some of the more picturesque aspects of Lake Te Anau
4. Toetoes Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By GaryandLesleyTravel - Auckland Central, New Zealand
When we arrived at the tiny settlement of Fortrose, the tide is out leaving the estuary low and ideal for the wading birds. We see plenty of Pied Oyster Catchers and Royal Spoonbills. On the way out as we are looking for the “ship wreck” we followed the road up and around behind the golf club, here there is a dirt carpark of such allowing us to park and explore the almost vertical cliffs, what sensational views of the rock formations and Toetoe Bay below. The cliffs are high, rugged and vertigo inducing. We see a Spotted Shag (Blue Shag) colony which was a bonus. The views down the coast each way were breath taking and we could also see Stuart Island from here. If you are looking for the ship wreck the tides have moved the sand on the sand bar and currently very little at all is visible.
5. Lake Te Anau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,092 reviews
Reviewed By 151Sunseeker67 - Tauranga, New Zealand
So peaceful and beautiful, a must see on a south island trip and a peaceful contrast to the hussle and bussle of Queenstown. Plenty of places to stay and quite a few options for food as well as a good supermarket.
6. Mavora Lakes Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By 264lynnea - Anchorage, United States
We did a short backpack trip from the end of the road at the North Mavora Lake to Carey's Hut at the north end of the same lake. We enjoyed beautiful scenery from the lake and surrounding Thomson and Livingston mountains. There was usually a gentle/stiff breeze that kept the pesky sand flies at bay. The track is a well used 4-wheel drive trail and easy to traverse. The Mavora walkway is a small part of the TeAraroa track. Carey's Hut is 10km from the end of the road and has 6 bunks, a fireplace, potable water, outhouse and tables and benches. Wish we would have had time to do more of the walkway. The gravel access road is dusty but in good condition. There are numerous camping spots near both the south and north Mavora lakes and lots of day hiking, boating/kayaking (if you bring your own) and swimming opportunities.
7. Ivan Wilson Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
8. Colac Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By azzawebbnz - Auckland, New Zealand
We freedom camped in our campervan near the wharf. Awesome spot although the weather was not windy and was wamr. not sure what this place would be like in other weather conditions, however plenty of room for lots of campervans (maybe about 20)
9. Lake Gunn
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By GaryandLesleyTravel - Auckland Central, New Zealand
Arriving at the Cascade Creek car park (toilet here) we started the 30 minute loop track to Lake Gunn. Some of the Southern Beech trees in this forest are at least 600 - 700 years old and are amazing. The walk to the lake was easy and we were joined by a couple of cheeky NZ Robins. Well worth the stop to see these giant trees.
10. Manapouri Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 66 reviews
Reviewed By pd7 - London, United Kingdom
Saw this lovely lake en route to Doubtful Sound and it was pretty photogenic too. At the end we took a coach to get over the Wilmot Pass - great views - to get to DS.
