I love the fact that in Southland you are so close to the South Pole and the icy, unpolluted waters are teaming with fish and seafood.

It's an isolated, unpopulated place and Southland's main city, Invercargill, is a friendly, unpretentious town with a lot of real Kiwi ambience.

Oysters

The Bluff oyster is known as the pearl of the south. It's an exquisite delicacy that lives wild in the cold waters of Foveaux Strait which separates the South Island from Stewart Island. Nothing beats the taste of a fresh Bluff oyster hauled from the sea that morning and one food experience which shouldn't be missed is eating oysters with a cold beer on beautiful Stewart Island.

Mutton birds

The muttonbird is another delicacy from this part of the world which I really love. It's a large member of the petrel family and a traditional Maori food source. The early Europeans called the birds muttonbird because when put in barrels and salted, the oily flesh tasted a bit like preserved mutton or lamb. On a recent trip to Stewart Island we had a muttonbird which was split in half and roasted in the oven until it was quite crispy - totally delicious.

Destinations

Invercargill, New Zealand's most southern city has boomed in recent years as really interesting people from all over the country chose to move here. That's led to a pretty cool cafe scene, many of which are serving good local food and seafood at very reasonable prices. In Bluff itself, the classic Kiwi pub is a great way to while away a few hours and meet the region's most colourful local characters. Also in bluff is the Paua House, a home dedicated to the native New Zealand abalone. This collectors home is a real NZ gem, very quirky and very idiosyncratic. Stewart Island's Maori name is Rakiura, meaning Land of the Glowing Skies and the sunsets and early mornings on this wilderness paradise are truly remarkable. While snorkelling and diving are popular things to do here, a fantastic adventure from the island would be to join a fishing charter for the day, heading out to catch the truly delicious sweet, flaky blue-cod.