Home to remarkable landscapes, spectacular wildlife and charming cities, the South Island of New Zealand – known by the Maoris as 'Te Wai Pounamu' or 'Water of Greenstone' – is famous for its superb scenery, and nowhere is more likely to take your breath away than the south-west region of Fiordland.
A United Nations World Heritage Site, the Maori believe this landscape of towering granite peaks, tumbling waterfalls and ancient rainforests was carved by the axe of demi-god Tute Rakiwhanoa.
The best way to explore the region is on the water, with daily boat and kayak trips setting out into the waters of Milford Sound; described by Rudyard Kipling as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. If you're in a kayak you'll want to keep your balance when paddling through Doubtful Sound; at 421 metres it's the deepest fiord in New Zealand and a haven for dolphins, fur seals and penguins.
If you'd rather keep your feet on terra firma Fiordland is also home to some of the best walks in New Zealand, and you can spend anywhere from a few hours to a few days exploring the area on foot.
Looking for some thrills? Apart from cheering for the 'Boks in a Dunedin pub, if you're in the mood for some adrenalin action then the 'Adventure Capital of the World' is the place to head for.
Queenstown offers everything from sky-diving and hot-air ballooning to abseiling and single-track mountain biking. And don't forget that New Zealand is the home of commercial bungy-jumping and pioneer AJ Hackett still runs four scream-your-head-off jumps in and around the city. After all that adrenalin a round on the Kelvin Heights Golf Course will be the perfect way to wind-down and soak up the Alpine scenery.
Not far from Queenstown the Lake Wanaka region is a winter sports paradise, with some of New Zealand's best ski slopes. But as the snow melts the snowboards are put away and bikes, boots and golf clubs are hauled out to make the most of crisp summer days. Anglers also spring-clean their tackle bags, ready to try their luck in the region's lakes and rivers for hard-fighting Rainbow and Brown Trout.
The clean blue waters of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand's fourth-largest, are also popular with sailors and jet-boaters, while hiking tracks and horse-riding trails criss-cross the foothills on the lake shore. Feeling energetic? Lace up your boots and head for Mount Aspiring National Park, just a short drive from Wanaka and home to a range of scenic walks and trails.
If it's soaring peaks you're after then head to the east coast of the island, where the spectacular Mount Cook towers over breathtaking scenery of Canterbury. At 3754 metres it's no surprise that the Maori name for the peak is 'Aoraki', or 'Cloud Piercer'.
From mountain high to the deep blue sea, the submarine trenches off the coast of Kaikoura plummet thousands of metres below the surface and attract hundreds of whales, dolphins and seals. From Kaikoura, follow the Alpine Pacific Triangle Touring Route which will whisk you through charming country scenery to the spa escapes of Hanmer Springs and the gourmet delights of Waipara.
Christchurch, the capital of the Canterbury region, is the oldest established town in New Zealand, but Dunedin in Coastal Otago is without doubt the most picturesque city on the South Island. The gold rush that swept through the region in the 1860s left Dunedin with the southern hemisphere's finest collection of ornate Victorian and Georgian architecture, along with the country's oldest and largest university.
These historic buildings are about as close as you'll come to the urban jungle on New Zealand's wild South Island. When you've met your match on the island's breathtaking greens and fairways it's time to head for the hills in the land the Maori called Aotearoa; The Land of the Long White Cloud.
» This article originally appeared in Greenside Golf World.
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