Planning a trip to Invercargill
Visitor Information
The Department of Conservation, State Insurance Building, Seventh Floor, 33 Don St. (tel. 03/214-4589; fax 03/214-4486; www.doc.govt.nz), is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm (6pm in summer). For more information on this area, check www.invercargill.org.nz or www.southlandnz.com.
Fast Facts
The Central Post Office is at 1 Don St. Southland Hospital, Kew Road (tel. 03/218-1949), has 24-hour emergency care. You can get prescriptions filled at UFS Dispensary, 76 Tay St. (tel. 03/218-9393), or, for after-hours service, 90 Kelvin St. (tel. 03/218-4893). For information on major events check www.southlandnz.com.
Getting There
By Plane -- Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in NZ; www.airnewzealand.co.nz) has service between Invercargill and Auckland and Wellington on the North Island, and Christchurch and Dunedin on the South Island. Stewart Island Flights (tel. 03/218-9129; www.stewartislandflights.com) has daily scheduled flights to Stewart Island. The airport is 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) from the city center. Spitfire Shuttles (tel. 03/249-7654; www.spitfire.co.nz) provides transport to and from the city. For more information, go to www.invercargillairport.co.nz. A cab to the city will cost around NZ$15.
By Coach (Bus) -- InterCity (tel. 09/623-1503) has coach service between Invercargill and Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Timaru. The bus depot is also on Leven Street. Look out for the Freebie, a free local shuttle service connecting inner city businesses; it runs Monday through Saturday, every 15 minutes between 10am and 2:30pm. For information on connecting bus routes, call tel. 03/218-7108.
By Car -- Invercargill can be reached on State Highway 6 from Queenstown or State Highway 1 from Dunedin. The Automobile Association office is at 47-51 Gala St. (tel. 0800/500-444).
Getting Around
By Taxi -- Call Blue Star Taxis Ingill Ltd., Tay and Jed streets (tel. 03/217-7777; www.blustartaxis.co.nz).
Orientation
Invercargill's streets are laid out in grid patterns. The main thoroughfares are Tay Street (an extension of St. Hwy. 1) and Dee Street (an extension of St. Hwy. 6). Many of the principal shops and office buildings are found at their intersection. Queens Park is an 80-hectare (200-acre) green oasis in the center of town.