Invercargill travel guide

When it comes to aesthetics a lot has been said about Invercargill over the years and sadly (and undeservingly) much of it has been negative. Invercargill is not pretty. Let’s be honest. Stuck at the very rear end of New Zealand and sandblasted by the worst extremes of the southern weather, even its climate and geography are against it. This is nothing new or unusual, after all Scotland (to which Invercargill and the region as a whole is so closely linked) is an entire country that suffers the same affliction. But for Invercargill there is one added problem. For most tourists the city features late on the travel schedule and by the time they get here they are almost drunk on stunning world-class scenery. No remedy there of course, it’s an inevitable ‘coming back down to earth’, but were it not for the geography and the climate one cannot help wonder if the problem could all be addressed with one weekend of frenzied mass tree-planting.

However, that said, Invercargill has many good points, and although you will hear different, it is certainly not the underdog it is reputed to be. For a start, it is the capital of the richest agricultural region in the South Island and so far in to the new millennium has had the strongest economic growth in the country. As the commercial hub of the region the ‘City of Water and Light’ (as it has been labelled) often buzzes (yes buzzes!) with the prosperity of that thriving economy, the vivacity of student life (the city is the regional focus for further education) and of course boasts a rich and fascinating history that marries the strong Maori and Celtic influence that pioneered the region. It is also a fine base from which to explore the delights of Southland and the ‘Southern Scenic Route’. Within a two-hour radius are a wealth of internationally acclaimed experiences of which Stewart Island, the Catlins Coast and southern Fiordland are the most obvious and the most lauded. So, by all means linger for a while – you won’t regret it – and before you leave (while no one is looking) plant a tree!