Southern Lakes

A taste of the wild frontier.

It’s easy to work up a serious appetite in the Southern Lakes region. In winter and spring, snow sports are all go. In summer and autumn, mountain passes and alpine valleys become hiking heaven. And at any time the year, adrenalin activities promise to keep your pulse racing.

Slideshow     7 shots PEAK PERFORMANCE The Southern Lakes region is spectacular. Dominated by towering peaks, deep valleys and expansive waterways - this place is perfect for adventure! View Slideshow

Unless you’re driving from another region, Southern Lakes explorations usually begin at Queenstown Airport. It’s a highly scenic arrival, because the jets fly between mountain ranges to find the landing strip.

A short road trip finds you in the centre of Queenstown, where amazing lake views compete for your attention with great shops and restaurants. Catch the gondola to the top of Bob’s Peak or cruise across Lake Wakatipu on the steam-driven TSS Earnslaw. Options for fun around here include jet boating, river rafting, horse trekking and various forms of bungy jumping. Aim also to spend half a day in Arrowtown - one of the most picturesque historic villages you’ll ever see, especially in autumn.

	Arrowtown, where much of the town's history is very much alive and in daily use.
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To discover into the ice-carved beauty of Fiordland you can either drive to Milford Sound via Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri, or catch a scenic flight from Wanaka or Queenstown. On a cruise or sea kayaking tour you’ll feel the full benefit of this natural fantasy land - waterfalls plummet hundreds of metres into the ocean, rainforest clings to impossibly sheer mountain sides and tall peaks scrape the sky.

If your travel budget is generous, the Southern Lakes region is known for exclusive lodges and resorts that let you unwind with fishing, golf and spa therapies.

Episode 4 - Southern Lakes and Fiordland

This episode whisked the surfing chefs a long way from civilisation, over snow-covered peaks and into the dense forests of Fiordland to meet Kiwi bushman Dale Hunter. Wild venison was on the menu, thanks to Dale’s formidable hunting skills, and at Big Bay on the west coast Bender and Mark enjoyed some of New Zealand’s most remote waves. A saffron farm and the wine cave at Gibbston Valley gave the lads food for thought, then ace guide Simon Wilkinson took them trout stalking. Bender acquired a great ‘the one that got away’ fishing story, thanks to a wily brown trout.

BEN & MARK'S RECIPES Check out the recipes cooked in this episode and try to replicate the guy's meals at home using the best of New Zealand's produce. Read More