The South Island (SI)

Relief

The Southern Alps dominate the SI – extend from Marlborough Sounds of the northern coast to Fiordland in the southwestern corner. Mount Cook (3,753m) – the highest peak in NZ, rises from the centre of the Alps. To the east of the Southern Alps – Canterbury Plains (160km long and over 65km wide) – the country’s chief grain-growing area. The Tasman Glacier – eastern side of Mount Cook, nearly 30km long – is one of the world’s largest ice bodies not in the polar region. The southeastern part of the SI – Otago plateaus and basins – is the driest and the hottest (in summer) area of NZ.

Rivers/Lakes

Many rivers begin in the lakes of the Southern Alps. Two of the waterways: the Clutha River (338km; NZ’s largest river in volume) and the Waitaki River (110km) – are major sources of hydropower.

Lake Te Anau (342 km²) is the largest lake in the SI.

Climate

Temperate, moist, maritime climate. The annual range of temperatures is quite small with about 10^oC. Southern NZ is cooler than northern NZ. Subtropical weather occurs on the northern peninsulas; subarctic temperatures are recorded in the Southern Alps. Southern coasts are especially windy.

Temperature at Auckland varies between 23^oC in January and 8^oC in July; in Wellington (capital of NZ) – January 20^oC and July 6^oC. The annual rainfall in Auckland is 1,850mm, in Wellington 1,230mm.