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Main Centres in South Canterbury

Main Centres in South Canterbury - Christchurch - the largest city in the South Island - Kaikoura - translated from Maori means `a place for eating crayfish` Hanmer Springs - a peaceful alpine village - Timaru - features significant Maori rock art collections - Lake Tekapo - beautiful lakeside town - Methven - gateway to Mount Hutt - Akaroa - attractive village with a French history - Darfield - gateway to the scenic attractions of the Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers - Springfield - gateway to the Southern Alps and the diverse journey through the Great Alpine Highway 73 - The MacKenzie Country is a high inland basin beneath the Southern Alps and Aoraki /Mt Cook . Aoraki /Mt Cook is New Zealand `s highest mountain at 3,754 metres . Main centres include Fairlie , Lake Tekapo , Aoraki /Mt Cook and Twizel .

South Canterbury - New Zealand

SOUTH CANTERBURY - NEW ZEALAND The Canterbury Region includes a large central portion of the East Coast of the South Island, centred around the city of Christchurch . From the silvery beaches of the East Coast to the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps, the Canterbury landscape is impossible to ignore. Big scenery is the order of the day—huge panoramas of ocean or mountains, great sweeps of pastureland, massive amounts of sky. The highest point of the region is the highest point of New Zealand. The spectacular Aoraki /Mount Cook stands at 3,754 metres ( Aoraki is Maori for Cloud Piercer ). At the other end of the scale, the submarine trenches off the coast of Kaikoura are thousands of metres deep, providing an ideal environment for the whales, dolphins and seals that live there permanently.