Oceania
New Zealand

South Island

The South Island of is characterised by grand, open landscapes and a great sense of freedom in the sparsely populated areas away from the Christchurch and Dunedin conurbations of the east coast.
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Photo: Ulrich.hoecker, CC BY 3.0.
Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Canterbury and Christchurch.

Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a region on the east coast of the South Island of . The Plains stretch from the Conway River in the north, just south of , to the great Waitaki River in the south, just north of .

Photo: koennz, CC BY 2.0.
is the largest city in the South Island of , and the second most-populous urban area in the country. As well as having the most attractions of any place in the South Island, it's the major international entry point for visiting the rest of the island.

Photo: Benchill, Public domain.
is the main city of the region and the second-largest city on the South Island of . The city was predominantly settled by Scots, and its name is an anglicised version of Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as West Coast and Southland.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
The is a region of the western South Island of that's long and relatively narrow, squeezed between the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea.

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.
is the southernmost region in the South Island of . It boasts stunning landscapes from the high mountains and icy glaciers to green and lush grasslands on the plains where agriculture is king.

Photo: Tiimta, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is a region of the South Island of whose hilly country and sheltered valleys produce a variety of climates and some spectacular scenery. This article covers the coastal areas and Central .

Photo: Javiersanp, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Nelson and Tasman regions, sometimes collectively referred to as top of the South or are situated at the northern end of the South Island of .

Photo: Herewhy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a region at the north-eastern end of the South Island of , chock full of great food to eat and intriguing sights to see. It is renowned for its high sunshine hours, New Zealand's largest wine-growing area, whale and fur seal watching off the Coast and the sunken valleys of the , where most of the world's green-lipped mussels are harvested.

Photo: Tiimta, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is the far inland district of Otago in the South Island of . The major lakes of the district are Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.

Photo: MDRX, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The are a range of mountains that run the length of the South Island of . This mountain range has been likened to the of Europe.

South Island

Latitude of center
-43° or 43° south
Longitude of center
171° east
Population
1,140,000
Elevation
106 metres (348 feet)
Geo­Names ID
2182504
Wiki­data ID
Q120755
This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover South Island from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
© Stadia Maps, Airbus DS, CNES, PlanetObserver, and Copernicus

In Other Languages

From Achinese to Yue Chinese—“South Island” goes by many names.
  • Achinese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Afrikaans: “Suid Eiland”
  • Afrikaans: “Suid-Eiland”
  • Afrikaans: “Suideiland”
  • Afrikaans: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Arabic: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Arabic: “الجزيرة الجنوبية”
  • Arabic: “الجزيره الجنوبيه”
  • Aragonese: “Isla d’o Sud”
  • Aragonese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Armenian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Armenian: “Հարավային կղզի”
  • Asturian: “Islla Sur”
  • Asturian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Azerbaijani: “Cənub adası”
  • Azerbaijani: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Balinese: “Nusa Kelod”
  • Bashkir: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Bashkir: “Көньяҡ утрау”
  • Basque: “Hego Uharte”
  • Basque: “Hego uhartea”
  • Basque: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Belarusian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Belarusian: “Паўднёвая выспа”
  • Belarusian: “Паўднёвы востраў, Новая Зеландыя”
  • Belarusian: “Паўднёвы востраў”
  • Bengali: “South Island”
  • Bengali: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Bengali: “The Mainland”
  • Bengali: “দক্ষিণ দ্বীপ”
  • Bhojpuri: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Bhojpuri: “साउथ आइलैंड”
  • Breton: “Enez ar Su”
  • Breton: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Bulgarian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Bulgarian: “Южен остров”
  • Catalan: “illa del Sud”
  • Catalan: “Illa del Sud”
  • Catalan: “Illa sud de Nova Zelanda”
  • Catalan: “Illa Sud”
  • Catalan: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Cebuano: “South Island (pulo sa New Zealand, lat -43,00, long 171,00)”
  • Cebuano: “South Island”
  • Cebuano: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Chinese: “Lâm-tó”
  • Chinese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Chinese: “南岛”
  • Chinese: “南島”
  • Chinese: “新西兰南岛”
  • Chinese: “特瓦普納姆”
  • Corsican: “Isula di u Sudu”
  • Croatian: “Južni otok”
  • Croatian: “South Island”
  • Croatian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Czech: “Jižní ostrov”
  • Czech: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Danish: “Sydøen”
  • Danish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Dutch: “Zuidereiland”
  • Egyptian Arabic: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Egyptian Arabic: “الجزيره الجنوبيه”
  • Esperanto: “Sud-Zelando”
  • Esperanto: “Suda Insulo”
  • Esperanto: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Estonian: “Lõunasaar”
  • Estonian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Fiji Hindi: “South Island”
  • Finnish: “Eteläsaari”
  • Finnish: “South Island”
  • Finnish: “Southern Island”
  • Finnish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • French: “île du Sud”
  • French: “Île du Sud”
  • French: “South Island”
  • French: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Galician: “Illa Sur, Nova Celandia”
  • Galician: “Illa Sur, Nova Zelandia”
  • Galician: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Georgian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Georgian: “სამხრეთ კუნძული”
  • Georgian: “სამხრეთი კუნძული”
  • German: “Südinsel”
  • German: “Te Wai Pounamu”
  • German: “Te Waipounamu”
  • German: “Te Waka a Māui”
  • Greek: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Greek: “Νότιο Νησί”
  • Greek: “Νότιος Νήσος Νέας Ζηλανδίας”
  • Hebrew: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Hebrew: “האי הדרומי”
  • Hebrew: “סאות איילנד”
  • Hebrew: “סאות‘ איילנד”
  • Hindi: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Hindi: “दक्षिण द्वीप”
  • Hungarian: “Déli-sziget”
  • Hungarian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Icelandic: “Suðurey”
  • Icelandic: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Indonesian: “Pulau Selatan”
  • Indonesian: “South Island”
  • Indonesian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Irish: “An tOileán Theas”
  • Irish: “Oileán Theas na Nua-Shéalainne”
  • Irish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Italian: “Isola del Sud”
  • Italian: “South Island”
  • Italian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Japanese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Japanese: “ニュージーランド南島”
  • Japanese: “南島”
  • Kalaallisut: “Qeqertaq Kujalleq”
  • Kalaallisut: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Kazakh: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Kazakh: “Оңтүстік (арал, Жаңа Зеландия)”
  • Kazakh: “Оңтүстік”
  • Korean: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Korean: “남섬”
  • Latin: “Insula Australis (Nova Zelandia)”
  • Latin: “Insula Australis”
  • Latin: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Latvian: “Dienvidsala”
  • Latvian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Lithuanian: “Pietinė sala”
  • Lithuanian: “Pietų sala”
  • Lithuanian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Lombard: “Isola del Sud”
  • Lombard: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Lower Sorbian: “Pódpołdnjowa kupa (Nowoseelandska)”
  • Lower Sorbian: “Pódpołdnjowa kupa”
  • Lower Sorbian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Macedonian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Macedonian: “Јужен Остров”
  • Malay: “Pulau Selatan”
  • Maori: “Te Wai Pounamu”
  • Maori: “Te Wai-pounamu”
  • Maori: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Maori: “Te Waka-a-Māui”
  • Marathi: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Marathi: “दक्षिण बेट, न्यू झीलँड”
  • Marathi: “दक्षिण बेट”
  • Min Nan Chinese: “Lâm-tó (New Zealand)”
  • Mingrelian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Mingrelian: “ობჟათე კოკი”
  • Moroccan Arabic: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Moroccan Arabic: “لݣزيرة دلجانوب”
  • Norwegian Bokmål: “Sørøya”
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: “Sørøya på New Zealand”
  • Norwegian: “Sørøya”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “South Island”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “Sūðerne Īeg”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “Sūþīeg”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “Te Waipounamu”
  • Ossetian: “Хуссар сакъадах”
  • Persian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Persian: “جزیره جنوبی”
  • Persian: “جزیرهٔ جنوبی”
  • Pitcairn-Norfolk: “Sauth Ailen”
  • Polish: “Wyspa Południowa”
  • Portuguese: “Ilha do sul”
  • Portuguese: “Ilha Sul”
  • Portuguese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Quechua: “Isla Sur”
  • Quechua: “South Island”
  • Quechua: “Te Wai Pounamu”
  • Quechua: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Quechua: “Urin Wat’a”
  • Romanian: “Insula de Sud”
  • Romanian: “South Island”
  • Russian: “Christchurch”
  • Russian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Russian: “Южный остров”
  • Russian: “Южный”
  • Sakizaya: “Nan-daw Niw-si-lan”
  • Scottish Gaelic: “Eilean a Deas, Sealainn Nuadh”
  • Scottish Gaelic: “Eilean a Deas”
  • Scottish Gaelic: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Serbian: “Južno ostrvo”
  • Serbian: “South Island”
  • Serbian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Serbian: “Јужно острво”
  • Serbo-Croatian: “Christchurch”
  • Serbo-Croatian: “Južni otok”
  • Serbo-Croatian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Slovak: “Južný ostrov”
  • Slovak: “South Island”
  • Slovak: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Slovenian: “Južni otok”
  • Slovenian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Spanish: “Isla del Sur”
  • Spanish: “Isla Sur”
  • Spanish: “South Island”
  • Spanish: “Te Wai Pounamu”
  • Spanish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Swahili: “Kisiwa cha Kusini (New Zealand)”
  • Swahili: “Kisiwa cha Kusini”
  • Swahili: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Swedish: “Södra ön”
  • Swedish: “South Island”
  • Swedish: “Southern Island”
  • Swedish: “Sydön”
  • Swedish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Sylheti: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Tamil: “South Island”
  • Tamil: “Southern Island”
  • Tamil: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Tamil: “தெற்கு தீவு”
  • Tamil: “தெற்குத் தீவு”
  • Thai: “South Island”
  • Thai: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Thai: “เกาะใต้”
  • Tok Pisin: “Saut Ailan”
  • Tok Pisin: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Turkish: “Güney Adası”
  • Turkish: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Turkmen: “Günorta ada”
  • Turkmen: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Ukrainian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Ukrainian: “Південна Зеландія”
  • Ukrainian: “Південний острів Нової Зеландії”
  • Ukrainian: “Південний острів”
  • Upper Sorbian: “Južna kupa”
  • Upper Sorbian: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Urdu: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Urdu: “جنوبی جزیرہ”
  • Uzbek: “Janubiy orol”
  • Uzbek: “Janubiy Orol”
  • Uzbek: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Vietnamese: “Đảo Nam, New Zealand”
  • Vietnamese: “Đảo Nam”
  • Vietnamese: “South Island”
  • Vietnamese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Isla ha Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Isla Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Isla Timogan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Isla Timugan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Puro ha Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Purô ha Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Puro Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Purô Salatan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Puro Timogan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Puro Timugan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Purô Timugan”
  • Waray (Philippines): “South Island”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Te Waipounamu”
  • Welsh: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Welsh: “Ynys y De, Seland Newydd”
  • Welsh: “Ynys y De”
  • Western Frisian: “Súdeilân”
  • Western Frisian: “Súdereilân”
  • Western Mari: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Western Mari: “Кечӹвӓлвелнӹш”
  • Wu Chinese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Wu Chinese: “南岛 (新西兰)”
  • Wu Chinese: “南岛（新西兰）”
  • Yue Chinese: “Te Waipounamu”
  • Yue Chinese: “南島”
  • “साउथ आइलैंड”

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About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “South Island”. Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.