New Zealand's South Island Photos

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Roses bloom in the garden of La Belle Villa, a Victorian bed-and-breakfast in Akaroa, which is "famous for two things," writes Miller. "It's the site of an 1840 attempt by France to claim New Zealand for her own; and Hector's dolphins, among the world's smallest and rarest, and found only in New Zealand waters."

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Swimmers enjoy a lazy summer day (in mid-February) on Lake Wanaka, along the route described in Traveler's September feature, "Caravaning Kiwiland." Author Miller writes: "A 90-minute drive takes us from Wanaka on a looping ribbon of road that winds between Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, past Fantail and Thunder Creek Falls, over Haast Pass, and into the enveloping rain forest. The mountainsides are veined with waterfalls."

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Sightseers make their way through the vertical landscape of glacier-carved Fiordland National Park in the southwest corner of New Zealand's South Island. In 1990 Fiordland was listed as a United Nations World Heritage site and given the name Te Wahipounamu—"the place of greenstone"—after the area's most treasured mineral resource.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Kayakers paddle the waters in Fiordland National Park, the largest of New Zealand's 14 national parks at nearly 5,000 square miles. "Whenever possible," writes Miller, "I return to this brooding place for an overnight cruise in one of the sounds. Kayaks are lowered for travelers to explore the shoreline. The ocean is an inky black-green."

Photograph by Palani Mohan

A group of young travelers from Switzerland relax at a campsite near Akaroa. Miller describes the caravan she used for this assignment: "It's cunningly designed: Two long bench seats double as a queen-size bed and storage for bedding and dishes. The back hatch hides a tiny kitchen, complete with sink, mini-fridge, and stove." Then she adds: "In these parks, there is company if you want it, solitude if you don't."

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Tourists enjoy a jet boat thrill ride through the canyons of the Shotover River near Queenstown, the unofficial "Adventure Capital of the World." Among the sports on offer here are bungee-jumping, paragliding, white-water sledging, snow-boarding, and heli-hiking.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Towering white pines shade a park on the outskirts of Wanaka, a resort town on the outskirts of Mount Aspiring National Park.

Photograph Palani Mohan

Hikers traverse Fox Glacier in New Zealand's Westland National Park, which encompasses some 140 glaciers. The Fox Glacier is unusual in that it is surrounded by subtemperate rain forest and is close to the ocean. This geography creates conditions conducive to glacier formation, meaning the glaciers in Westland grow quickly.

Photograph by Palani Mohan

Local resident Marc Richards walks his dog in lush Wanaka Station Park near the town of Wanaka. "New Zealand unveils wave after wave of jaw-dropping landscapes," says writer Miller, "one moment serene and pastoral, the next surging with the upheaval of snowcapped mountains more than 10,000 feet tall."