Things to do in Invercargill
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Invercargill
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Late spring to autumn brings long southern daylight and the kindest weather for Stewart Island and the Catlins.
Winter is short, cold and windy, with empty museums, low prices and the best aurora chances on clear dark nights.
Shoulder sweet spot, with the oyster season opening, crowds gone and often settled weather.
Aurora australis season on clear dark nights, best from Stewart Island and the dark Catlins coast.
What's on
- Burt Munro Challenge 10-14 February 2027
Five days of beach racing at Oreti, the Bluff hill climb, drags and Teretonga sprints, the city's biggest week.
- Bluff Oyster & Food Festival Late May
Oyster opening and eating competitions plus blue cod, paua and southern ales in Bluff. Book Invercargill beds early.
- Bluff oyster season 1 March to 31 August
The regulated season, but the catch can end it far earlier.
- Matariki June or July, by the lunar calendar
Winter events and the darkest aurora nights of the year.
Best things to do in Invercargill
Bill Richardson Transport World
More than 300 immaculate vehicles in huge sheds, a half day collection that converts people who are not vehicle fans.
Classic Motorcycle Mecca
Over 300 classic motorcycles in restored central buildings, intimate, detailed and rated the best museum in the city.
E Hayes and Sons
A working hardware store holding Burt Munro's original World's Fastest Indian, free to view among the shop aisles.
Queens Park
An 80 hectare city park of rose, Japanese and winter gardens, an aviary, animal enclosures and a cafe, all free.
He Waka Tuia
The interim home of Southland's museum and art collections while the new Te Unua museum is built in Queens Park.
Invercargill Water Tower
A Victorian brick water tower with a castle like cupola, the city's postcard landmark and a ten minute heritage stop.
Southern Farmers Market
The Sunday market where Southland producers sell lamb, beef, vegetables, preserves and baking to the city's cooks.
Bluff Maritime Museum
A dense small museum of Bluff's oyster fleet, shipwrecks and port history, best paired with the hill and signpost.
Where to stay in Invercargill
Central Business District
first visit, no car, walkability
Dee, Esk and Kelvin Streets hold the museums, theatre, dining and Queens Park within walking distance.
Tay Street and Ascot Park fringe
road trippers, families, space and parking
The motel strip and full service hotel end of town, with drive up parking and Transport World on Tay Street.
Queens Park edge
walkers, golfers, longer quiet stays
The quietest in city sleeping, with morning walks straight into the gardens and the centre minutes away.
Think twice about
- Bond Street and Bluff Road industrial fringe
Bleak, truck heavy and amenity free. Fine to drive through, pointless to stay in.
- Lorneville and outlying highway motels
Safe but car dependent for every coffee, meal and sight. Base in the CBD or on Tay Street instead.
Best restaurants in Invercargill
Elegance at 148 on Elles Restaurant
The city's special occasion room, with an open fire, sunset views, local seasonal produce and a deep cellar list.
Meld
Asian fusion sharing plates in a polished dining room at The Langlands, preceded by a drink at the rooftop bar.
Buster Crabb
A warm gastropub for blue cod, seafood chowder, lamb and steaks, with staff who know where the produce came from.
The Saucy Chef on St Andrew
A long running local favourite for European leaning New Zealand cooking, generous portions and consistent execution.
The Batch Cafe
The city's best cafe and breakfast, with an all day grill, on site baking and a room full of locals from opening.
The Rocks Cafe
A calm cafe restaurant serving European and New Zealand plates, suited to a long lunch or an unhurried family dinner.
EMBERZ Restaurant
The grill restaurant for the Tay Street side of town, with a courtyard bar and live jazz on Friday nights.
Pinch of Spice
The city's highest rated Indian restaurant, praised for depth of flavour, real heat and strong vegetarian coverage.
Outdoor things to do in Invercargill
Ulva Island
A predator free sanctuary off Oban where saddlebacks, kaka and sometimes daylight kiwi live in untouched bush.
Rakiura Track
A Great Walk of coastal bush and empty beaches, walkable as a water taxi assisted day section from Oban.
Curio Bay
A 180 million year old petrified forest exposed at low tide, beside a bay with Hector's dolphins and penguins.
Purakaunui Falls
New Zealand's most photographed waterfall, a multi tiered cascade reached by a short easy walk through native bush.
Nugget Point Lighthouse
A lighthouse above wave battered sea stacks with fur seals below, at the far end of a full Catlins day.
Bluff Hill
Bluff's whale backed hill, with a coastal walkway around its base and summit tracks over the strait to Stewart Island.
Stirling Point
The famous international signpost at the end of State Highway 1, with Stewart Island across the water on clear days.
Oreti Beach
A long hard sand beach you can drive onto, famous as Burt Munro's testing ground and the city's sunset and aurora shore.
Best hotels in Invercargill
The Langlands Hotel
The city's flagship modern hotel on Dee Street, with a cafe, the Meld restaurant and a rooftop bar.
The Lodges at Transport World
Eight boutique lodge apartments at Transport World, finished well above motel standard with the museum at your door.
Ascot Park Hotel
A full service hotel in grounds by the racecourse, with a pool, spa, the Emberz restaurant and free parking.
Kelvin Hotel
The dependable central classic, with spacious rooms, a praised breakfast and everything in the CBD at walking distance.
Balmoral Lodge Motel
A well kept Tay Street motel with apartment like units, free parking and a long record of high guest scores.
Southern Comfort Backpackers
A homely backpackers handy to Queens Park and the centre, with dorms, private rooms and a shared kitchen.
Is Invercargill expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NZ$140 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NZ$260 a person |
| Splurge | NZ$520 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ulva Island: weeks ahead
- Rakiura Track: weeks ahead
- Dig This Invercargill: a few days ahead
- The Langlands Hotel: a few days ahead
- The Lodges at Transport World: weeks ahead
- Elegance at 148 on Elles Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Meld: a few days ahead
- Book Stewart Island ferry, flights, Ulva Island guides, kiwi tours and Rakiura Track huts weeks ahead in summer.
- Book Dig This, Elegance at 148 on Elles and the top hotels ahead for Burt Munro Challenge and oyster festival weeks.
Is Invercargill safe?
- Weather is the main hazard, with southerlies off Foveaux Strait, slippery rocks at Curio Bay and unpatrolled surf at Oreti.
- Dee Street boy racer laps on weekend nights are a noise problem for light sleepers, not a danger problem.
Invercargill travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not promise a tuatara, as the old museum is demolished and Te Unua opens in 2027.
- Do not treat Nugget Point as an afterthought, as the return drive makes it a long day.
- Do not call out of season Bluff oysters fresh, and do not rush Transport World in one hour.
Getting around Invercargill: public transport and more
- Walk the flat centre and rent a car at the airport for Bluff, the Catlins, Riverton and Oreti Beach.
- The Stewart Island ferry sails from Bluff in about an hour and flights take about 20 minutes from Invercargill airport.
- Bluff is 25 minutes south on State Highway 1 and there is no practical visitor public transport to the regional sights.
Who Invercargill suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Invercargill your trip
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