Invercargill is New Zealand's southernmost city, the capital of Southland and gateway to some of New Zealand's most beautiful scenery. The people are friendly and hospitable and while Invercargill is serviced by regular air services, most people visit as part of a road tour on what is called the Southern Scenic Route.

Visitors often are on limited time. A great time- saving option is to fly directly to Invercargill from Christchurch and collect your Invercargill rental car. Then after having seen what Invercargill itself has to offer, you can make your way north to Fiordland, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, and the rest of the South Island or indeed New Zealand.

Invercargill offers an excellent range of cafes, restaurants, and bars, excellent shopping and most of the benefits you'd expect to find in a city but without the headaches of heavy traffic and delays. The population of Invercargill is tiny at around 50, 000 people.

Invercargill is home to the largest pyramid in the southern hemisphere, the Southland Museum and Art Gallery building (above), which backs on to the lush Queens Park. The museum displays a long line of Invercargill's history and chronicles the last 800 years of human history. Queens Park is the most visited and notable park in this city.

New Zealand's succulent oysters are legendary and come from Fouveaux Strait, the stretch of sea between the bottom of the South Island and Stewart Island. The industry is based in Bluff which is just a short drive from Invercargill. Bluff has much to offer visitors. It's also from Bluff that you can catch a ferry to visit beautiful Stewart Island.

Another well- kept secret in the immediate vicinity of Invercargill is the area known as The Catlins (right): well off the beaten track on the southernmost coast of the South Island, the Catlins area is well worth a visit. You will experience the unknown and unexpected without a doubt.

You can then travel north to Dunedin or north and inland towards Fiordland and Queenstown. Certainly the freedom of having an Invercargill rental car will make your holiday and tour so much more enjoyable.

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