If you have ever looked at a map of the South Island and wondered where the scenery turns from beautiful to completely unreal, the answer is the Southern Lakes.

Queenstown might be the draw card that brings you to the Southern Lakes, but let it also be the launchpad for discovering what the locals commonly refer to as paradise: the landscape and lifestyle beyond. 

Stretching across western Southland, Central Otago and up into the Mackenzie Basin, this region is New Zealand’s most spectacular alpine playground. Think vast wilderness, glacial lakes, and mountains that look like they were designed for postcards, but somehow feel even better in person. It is also a place where raw natural beauty meets genuinely world-class hospitality, which is why so many discerning travellers return again and again.

What makes the Southern Lakes so special?

The Southern Lakes region is built around some of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes. It is home to three of the country’s largest lakes, including its deepest, and dramatic U-shaped valleys carved by ancient glaciers. UNESCO World Heritage protected wilderness sits right alongside refined, high-end experiences and some discretely placed and respectfully designed private villas and residences.

At its heart are three major lakes, each shaping a different kind of trip.

• Lake Te Anau – South Island’s largest and Southland’s deepest
• Lake Wakatipu – New Zealand’s longest and Otago’s deepest
• Lake Wānaka – the fourth largest in New Zealand

Each one offers its own flavour of the Southern Lakes, from wide-open lakefront calm to dramatic, mountain-ringed adventure bases. Around each, a community has formed and each typically finds a significant place on every traveller’s New Zealand South Island itinerary.

Wānaka or Queenstown?

One of the first…

Read Full Article Source