Driving Route : Christchurch - Fiordland - Christchurch

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Day 3 : Dunedin to Invercargill

Travel time is approximate only, based on an average driving speed under normal road conditions.

	Travel Time	Km	(Miles)
Dunedin - Balclutha	1.5 hrs	113	71
Balclutha - Invercargill	2 hrs	158	99
Totals for Day	3.5 hrs	271	169

Dunedin - Balclutha

113 km (71 miles)
Approximately 1.5 hours
Road Conditions: Motorway/State Highway/Arterial

In the late 19th century, Dunedin acquired an impressive amount of ostentatious Victorian architecture. No expense was spared.

Today you can enjoy the historic public buildings, imposing churches, palatial homes and ornate hotels. There's even a castle. Eco-tourism is the other face of Dunedin—visit penguin, albatross and seal colonies.

Half an hour south you'll come across tranquil Lake Waihola, a popular venue for picnics, yachting and waterskiing. The historic mill town of Milton is next—the slight kink in the main road is where two surveyors didn't quite meet.

Balclutha has a distinctive arched concrete bridge and a museum where you can see historic farming and household implements.

The area known as the Catlins begins just south of Balclutha. The winding road will take you to see seals and sealions, Hector's dolphins, several species of penguin and the petrified forest in Curio Bay.

Wilderness beaches, waterfalls, walkways, lakes and rivers provide non-stop scenery. Accommodation is sprinkled thorugh the area—farmstays, lodges and B & B establishments.

Balclutha - Invercargill

158 km (99 miles)
Approximately 2 hours
Road Conditions: State Highway/Arterial

The area known as the Catlins lies between Kaka Point and Fortrose, an early whaling station. The winding road will take you to see seals and sealions, Hector's Dolphins, several species of penguin and the petrified forest in Curio Bay.

Wilderness beaches, waterfalls, walkways, lakes and rivers provide non-stop scenery. Accommodaton is sprinkled thorugh the area—farmstays, lodges and B & B establishments.

Invercargill is Southland's principal centre and the country's southernmost city. It is known for its elegant old department stores and wide, easy-to-navigate streets. Local food specialties include Bluff Oysters and blue cod.

The museum has a tuatara house and an excellent exhibition about New Zealand's subantarctic islands. Take a stroll around the gardens, aviary and duck ponds of Queens Park.

It's a quick journey to Bluff to see the Stirling Point signpost, which indicates the distance to the South Pole and other parts of the world. The Paua Shell House and the maritime museum are other attractions in Bluff.