Southern Lakes Region

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Everything you touch here turns to gold

[size=1em]Queenstown and Wanaka have the ability to bedazzle travellers on a number of levels. For a start, everything you look at is framed by the awesome Southern Alps. And then there's the never-ending choice of adventure activities on offer - it's an adrenalin freak's open-air toy shop.

[size=1em]In fact, it's hard not to have fun here. Take jet boating. Who wouldn't want a lifetime memory of hurtling up ancient river gorges at breathtaking speed? How many places offer you the chance to go horse trekking through a bona fide historic gold rush shantytown? Perhaps heli-skiing would get your juices flowing.

[size=1em]Even those with more ground-level inclinations would find the award-winning food and wine here a veritable goldmine to savour. Some would say it is unequivocal proof that there's still plenty of gold left in these parts - it's just that we now extract it in different ways.

National Parks

[size=1em]Southern Lakes District is home to both the Mt Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. Mt Aspiring houses the mountain from whence the park takes its name. It is a mountaineer's dream, but it can also break your heart. Treat it with the respect it deserves and you'll come away with a life-time of memories. It is highly recommended that you take a guide with you. Fiordland is home to two of New Zealand's most famous walking experiences, the stunningly beautiful Milford and Kepler Tracks.

Homer Tunnel

[size=1em]At the highpoint on the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound, the Homer Tunnel was started in 1935 but solid rock and the interruption of WWII delayed its completion until 1954. The tunnel is 945 metres above sea level and 1.2 kilometres long. It has two narrow lanes and no internal lighting. At both ends of the tunnel, walks lead through natural alpine gardens.

Hydro Dams and Lakes

[size=1em]The lakes of the upper Waitaki River were created between 1928 and 1968, as hydro dams were built in strategic places along its length. Waitaki Dam, the first to hold the flow of the Waitaki, was the last of the 'pick and shovel' dams. It was commenced in 1928 and began generating power in 1934.