South Island of New Zealand

Takaka/Totaranui
Motueka/Marahau
Nelson
Marlborough Sounds
Picton
Blenheim
St Arnaud/Nelson Lakes
Blenheim
Kaikoura
Christchurch
Akaroa
Hanmer Springs
Methven/Mt Hutt
Mt Cook
Twizel
Lake Tekapo
Timaru
Oamaru
Westport
Punakaiki
Arthurs Pass
Greymouth
Hokitika
Franz Josef
Fox Glacier
Wanaka
Queenstown
Glenorchy
Te Anau
Te Anau Downs
The Divide
Milford Sound
Dunedin
Invercargill
Bluff
Stewart Island

The South Island (Māori: Te Wai Pounamu) is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The territory of the South Island covers 151,215 square kilometres (58,384 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate climate.

The South Island is often called "The Mainland". Today this expression is used humorously, although still with pride by "Mainlanders", since while it is a somewhat larger landmass than the North Island, only about a quarter of New Zealand's four million inhabitants live in the South Island. However, in the early stages of European settlement of the country, the South Island was pre-eminent, with the majority of the European population and wealth focused there due to gold rushes.

Compared to the more populated and multi-ethnic North Island, the South Island has a smaller, more homogeneous resident population of 1,027,500 (June 2009 estimate).

The South Island, with an area of 151,215 km² (58,093 square miles), is the largest land mass of New Zealand; it contains about one quarter of the New Zealand population and is the world's 12th-largest island. It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3754 metres (12,316 ft). There are eighteen peaks of more than 3000 metres (9800 ft) in the South Island.

The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains while the West Coast is famous for its rough coastlines, very high proportion of native bush, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

The dramatic landscape of the South Island has made it a popular location for the production of several films, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.