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Top Places: Fiordland (includes Milford), Catlins.
Southland is a sparsely populated region with extreme natural contrasts. Ranging from
the mountainous and lush areas of Fiordland to the plains of Southland
at the southern tip of the South Island there is enough here to keep even
the most ardent traveller enthused.
Fiordland
National Park is the most scenic area in Southland and arguably New Zealand.
Highlights of this park include 14 fiords surrounded by extremely steep mountainous
terrain covered in lush rain forest in the lowlands and and beech forests
in higher altitudes. Fiordland has some impressive waterfalls, and on a rainy
day it is possible to see hundreds of waterfalls side by side.
Fiordland
is also one of the biggest National Parks in the world and covers the entire
western coastline of Southland. Even to this day, some areas in this park have
never been sighted by man.The Park is protected by the United Nations with
a World Heritage listing and is comparable in granduer to other World Heritage listings such as the Grand Canyon, and the Amazon Rainforest.
The Catlin's Coast is also worth visiting if you find yourself in this beautiful area of New Zealand.
Southland is the
departure point to Stewart Island which is New
Zealand's third largest island.
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