Invercargill is the southernmost city in New Zealand (and one of the most southerly in the world). In fact, Invercargill is a service station for farms of the southern plains. True, there are wide free streets and centenary houses that give the tourist a unique sense of time travel, those days when business was much more peaceful than now.

Content 1 How to get to Invercargill 1.1 Flight search in Invercargill 2 A bit of history 3 Entertainment, excursions and attractions Invercargill 4 Surroundings of Invercargill 4.1 New Zealand: South Island

How to get to Invercargill

You can get to the city by bus, which goes daily from Dunedin, Christchurch and Queenstown .In addition, there are many highways of Southland, including the main highway No. 1, along which you can drive to the city from Dunedin for two and a half hours .The same will take the road from Queenstown to SH6 .Invercargill Airport is located about 3 km from the business center of the city, and it accepts flights from Christchurch and Wellington .A flight from Christchurch will take about an hour on a turboprop aircraft .A direct flight from Wellington lasts 2, 5 hours .

A bit of history

The first Europeans appeared in the local places in the middle of the 19th century. Almost immediately in Otago, a despicable metal was discovered, and a gold rush began. The population of the region jumped dramatically, the port in Bluff opened, and Invercargill began to grow. In the meantime, gold and gold, while the poor and the unsuccessful prospectors either moved north, or tried to make a living here by setting up farms. In the 1880s, cheese and butter were already being produced here.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions Invercargill

The city theater, built in 1906 .in the style of the English Revival, was called to be the "face" of the city .The theater is still surprising and admiring today: it seems that such a festive design can only be seen in old Europe .The building located on ul .Tay, includes a hall for 1000-odd seats and a smaller concert hall .On the same street there is also the first Presbyterian church of the city, built in 1915 .in the Italian-Roman style .It is distinguished by juicy colors, an unusual square tower, arched openings and friezes made of multi-colored brick .The Foundation for Historic Places awarded the first category to the church building .

Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Mary on the street. The mysteries, built in 1905, are described by some sources as "the most attractive church in Australasia". Due to the size of this landmark dominates the entire urban landscape. From many points of the city, you can see its dome covered with copper, and in the interior you can see a lot of stained-glass windows, including a window with a rosette with an unusual image of an angel.

The Museum and Art Gallery of Southland in Gala Street are quite interesting: here you can see a lavatory, a kind of a three-eyed lizard that has not changed since the time of the dinosaurs .And the art gallery "Anderson Park", founded in 1951 .a group of enthusiasts, was the city's first public art gallery; she takes the graceful Georgian mansion of the late Sir Anderson .Here, more than 800 pieces of art are collected, from the early colonial era to the present day .The mansion stands on 24 hectares of a landscaped garden, which is used as a public park .Every year the Spring Exhibition is held here, hosted by the most famous New Zealand artists .

The Museum of the Scottish Fire Department is located on the streets of Jed and Spey, and here you can see a variety of old devices to combat fire. And the Bill Richardson truck museum has the largest private collection of its kind in the world. To date, the museum has collected 210 trucks and 120 petrol stations, and the collection is still being replenished. Visiting the museum is possible only by prior arrangement.

The Water Tower is a kind of visiting card for Invercargill and an excellent example of Victorian architecture. The tower demonstrates how a purely utilitarian structure can be given a highly aesthetic appearance. Today, its functions are rather safety. From the inside, the tower can not be inspected, but it looks very attractive from the outside, especially in the evening illumination.

The Royal Park is located at the northern end of the central business district .This is a large Edwardian city park, where the infrastructure is well developed, there is an observatory, a golf club, a rose garden, a duck pond, a poultry house, a small zoo and a playground .It's worth nothing to spend at least half a day here, walking around 81 hectares .Other attractive and green corners of the city are Otepuni Gardens, which used to be the main city park, and today are very popular as a place for weddings; Park Donovan and Thompsons-Busch .

The central business district of the city is located around the intersection of Esk and Kelvin streets, bordered by Leven, Tay, Davron and Gala streets. Esk is the main shopping street of Invercargill. At the western end of it is the Wachner Place, where the main pedestrian zone ends. Wachner Place - an open space where there is plenty of sunshine, and where people like to sit down, take a break and lazily stare at passers-by. Here are located, which is convenient, and public showers.

The Banking Corner at the intersection of Tay / Crescent and Di / Clyde is slightly south of Wachner Place, and here you can admire the three architectural wonders of the early 20th century. These three banking buildings no longer fulfill their original purpose, but still look amazing. In the middle of the ring square is a monument to soldiers who died in the Boer War in South Africa. Columns of the memorial complex are made of Aberdeen granite, the watch and the statue of the warrior at the top are made of Italian marble.

Surroundings of Invercargill

About 30 km south of the city is a small Bluff. It is famous for its oysters and the annual festival dedicated to them in particular and food in general. A lot of time here you will not spend, but for a couple of hours you can come to Bluff. Excellent views open from the hill, where you can climb from the main street of the city: in clear weather you can see the neighboring islands. At the southern end of Bluff there is also an observation deck. And from Bluff ferries leave for the island of Stewart.

Stewart Island, the third largest island of New Zealand, is located 24 km from the coast of the South Island and is even visible from Invercargill. Most of Stewart Island is covered by an old forest, and the local population is mainly concentrated in Oban (this place is also known as Crescent Bay) that is on the east coast. To get to the island, it is enough to take a ferry (50 minutes on the road, and on the road it can be a great drive), or you can even fly an airplane. And it's worth it if you appreciate the opportunity to see penguins coming in the evening to the village, and on occasion kiwi.

Invercargill is surrounded on all sides by nature protection zones and marine reserves. Among them - the national park Fiordland, which occupies the south-western corner of the South Island. This is the largest of the country's 14 national parks, and it extends to a territory of 12,500 sq. Km. km, being a part of the world heritage site, Te-Vaipunamu. The glacier formed here a lot of fjords, the most famous and most visited of which is Milford Sound.

The coastal region of Kathlins is located between Invercargill and Balkluta. This is a rugged and torn coast, wild and disobedient. Interested travelers are awaited here with exceptional opportunities for watching birds and sea lions, not to mention the striking geological formations like Cathedral caves. Here is, among other things, the most southerly point of the South Island - Slope Point.