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. However, there is a wide Privolnaya streets and centuries-old houses, which give tourists a unique sense of time travel, in those early days, when the business was a much more relaxed pastime than now.

Content 1 How to get to Invercargill 1.1 Airline Ticketing to Invercargill 2 A little history 3 Entertainment, excursions and attractions Invercargill 4 Surroundings 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 get 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 downtown, and it accepts flights from Christchurch and Wellington . The flight from Christchurch will take about an hour at turboprop aircraft . Direct flight from Wellington lasts 2, 5 hours .

A bit of history

The first Europeans appeared in these 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 produced here and there.

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 Italo-Roman style . It is distinguished by juicy colors, an unusual square tower , arched openings and friezes of multicolor bricks . The Historical Places Foundation appropriated the first category of the church building to the .

Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Mary on the st. 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 one can see its cupola 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 Southland in Gala Street are quite interesting: here you can see Tuataru, 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 by a . group of enthusiasts, was the first public art gallery of the city; it occupies the graceful Georgian mansion of the last Sir Anderson . Here you can find more than 800 pieces of art from the early colonial era to the present day . The mansion stands on 24 hectares of a landscaped garden that is used as a public park . Every year the Spring Exhibition , hosting as guests the most famous artists of New Zealand .

The Scottish Fire Department Museum is located on the streets of Jed and Spey, and here you can look at various old fire fighting devices. 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 of 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 inside, the tower can not be inspected, but it looks very attractive from the outside, especially in the evening light.

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 children's playground . Nothing should be spent here at least half a day, walking through 81 hectares . Other attractive and green angle and the city - it Otepuni gardens, which were once the main city park, and now very popular as a venue for weddings; Park Donovan and Thompsons-Bus .

The central business district of the city is located around the intersection of Esk and Kelvin streets bounded 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. The 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.

Neighborhoods Inve rkargilla

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 Stuart Island

Stewart Island, the third largest island of New Zealand, is located 24 km from the shore 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 it can be a great ride), 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 from all sides by nature conservation areas 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 number of fjords, the most famous and most visited of which is Milford Sound

The coastal region of Kathlins lies 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.