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Top Places: Queenstown, Shotover river, Skippers Canyon, Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Dunedin, Otago Peninsula, Taieri Gorge.
Otago is a mountainous region with dry and barren terrain in the centre, which becomes
greener as you head toward the coast. It is the only area of New Zealand that
experiences a continental climate, so the temperature between summer and winter
is extreme compared with the rest of New Zealand. Overall New Zealand has
a maritime climate which means that the climate is directly affected by the
ocean, so temperature differences in seasons are less noticeable.
Queenstown
is the jewel in the crown of Central Otago. This town is one of New Zealand's
premier tourist destinations and is the gateway to the best ski fields in
the country, as well the main starting point for a trip to Fiordland.
Queenstown has its own international airport with regular flights from Australia
and within New Zealand. The town is built on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and
is framed by mountains on all sides, including the scenic Remarkables
Mountain Range.
The
surrounding area is the place to go for action activities such as Bungee Jumping
or Jet Boating, which are both New Zealand inventions. Other activities include
White Water Rafting, helicopter rides and parapenting. You can do the first
4 activities together in a package called the The "Awesome Foursome".
Further
north of Queenstown lies Arrowtown,
which is a pretty town that has preserved its old world charm. Further north
again is Wanaka which is
less touristy than Queenstown and just as beautiful.
Dunedin
is the second largest city in the South Island and is located near the Otago
Peninsula on the east coast. The city was founded by the Scottish and was
planned entirely in Britain. The planners didn't take Dunedin's steep terrain
into consideration and as a consequence, some streets stop at the bottom of
a hill and continue 
again at the top. This also explains why Dunedin's streets are the worlds
steepest. The honour of the world's steepest street use to belong in San Francisco,
but the Guinness Book of World Records has now amended this to Baldwin St
in Dunedin.
Dunedin is a small city. It is however quite lively and youthful as it has a large student population. Dunedin is also located near some scenic landscape such as the Otago Peninsula, which is famous for its colonies of Albatross, fur seals, penguins and other sea birds.
A trip from Dunedin that
comes highly recommended is the Tairei Gorge Train trip. This trip shows off
some of the rugged beauty of the Otago region.
Original versions of our photos can be purchased & web versions can be shared subject to conditions.