8 Best Sights in Otago, Invercargill, and Stewart Island, New Zealand

Galleries in an 1877 building are a throwback to Victorian times. The museum's first curator was a zoologist, and many of the original animals collected from 1868 are still on display in Animal Attic, a restored, magnificent, skylighted gallery. Southern Land, Southern People explores the cultural heritage of this region, and other galleries focus on Māori and Pacific Island artifacts, animal and insect specimens, and nautical items, including ship models and a whale skeleton. The Tropical Forest re-creates a humid jungle, complete with live butterflies and other tropical creatures.

Relax and enjoy the birdsong of bellbirds, woodpigeon, and tūī amid 70 acres of international and native flora at New Zealand's first ever public garden. Some 6,800 plant species thrive on flatlands and hillsides ranging up from Central Dunedin, providing amazing seasonal displays of foliage. Attractions include an aviary, a winter garden hothouse, a comprehensive native plant collection, and the spectacular Rhododendron Dell. Parking at the lower part of the gardens, off Cumberland Street, affords easier access than the Opoho end, which is steeper, but both parts are worth visiting.

Penguins at Friendly Bay might be present any time of the year, and tours and viewing opportunities run day and evening. There's a small visitor center on site with a shop and toilet facilities. The actual times penguins come ashore in the evening affects the nighttime hours, but the center opens every day at 5 pm. Access to the public beach is free.

A 30-minute drive northeast of Dunedin is a 759-acre forest where native plants and wildlife thrive in relative safety surrounded by an 8.7-km (5-mile) predator-proof fence. This is necessary because much of New Zealand wildlife is threatened by pests and predators introduced into the country before settlers knew any better, and Orokonui is unique because it was the first of only three mainland eco-sanctuaries on the South Island. The latest attraction here is a jewel gecko enclosure. The park offers good walking tracks, informative displays, a café, and a souvenir shop. Parents, grab a Kiwi Ranger booklet from the front desk, which lists lots of activities to keep the kids amused during the day; if they complete the tasks, they earn a "Kiwi Ranger" badge.

This conservation project is entirely funded by guided tours of the private reserve. If you'd like to observe the world's most endangered penguin in its natural habitat, visit Penguin Place, where an ingenious network of tunnels has been disguised so that you can get close. The penguins, also known as hoiho (meaning "noise shouter" in Māori), are characterized by their yellow irises and headbands. Tours run throughout the afternoon but must be booked in advance. If you can't bring yourself to leave, Penguin Place Lodge offers basic and inexpensive farm-stay accommodation.

These 200 acres in the center of town create a fine layout of public gardens. Included are two rose gardens with both modern and "antique" rose varieties; a Japanese garden complete with meditation area; and an impressive hothouse, which acts as a sanctuary on a wet day. The park has miles of gentle walking paths and waterways, an 18-hole golf course, a fitness trail, and a decent café. There's also a small zoo area and an aviary with a walk-through section that children love. The main entrance is through the stately Feldwick Gates next to the Southland Museum.

The sea at Dunedin can be a little wild; in summer an area between flags is patrolled by lifeguards. St. Clair has some good surfing, and hosts some prestigious competitions. Don't be too spooked by the shark bell on the Esplanade: a fatal attack hasn't occurred for 50 years (although nonfatal attacks have occurred at least once a decade). Local residents show what they're made of at the annual "midwinter plunge" held on the beach at winter solstice. If the ocean is too cold for you, try the Hot Salt Water Pool at the southern end of the beach (NZ$7 admission). South of town is the Tunnel Beach Walkway, a sandstone tunnel cut in 1870 by Edward Cargill so that his family could get down to the pretty beach below (this walk is closed from August through October for lambing). Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; walking.

A route along the now-closed Otago Central Railway (now christened The Inlander) runs from Dunedin to Pukerangi and Middlemarch, home of the annual Middlemarch Singles' Ball; each year this very train imports young city gals up to a dance with lonely Otago sheep shearers. The highlight of the trip is the run through the narrow and deep Taieri Gorge, with 10 tunnels and dozens of bridges and viaducts, all of which can be enjoyed from open-air viewing platforms. Also available is a seasonal Seasider route from Dunedin up the coast to Palmerston. The train runs every day; check the timetable for its destination. Reservations are essential. Cyclists can connect at Middlemarch to the wonderful Otago Central Rail Trail.