On the morning of our arrival we had a meeting with Tim Shadbolt who is the current Mayor of Invercargill. Once he discovered we didn’t have anything planned during our stay at Invercargill he decided to give us a personalised tour of the city. That was seriously cool. I mean how many people can honestly say that the Mayor has chauffeured them around a city?
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www.exploretainment.comWe visited several iconic buildings in Invercargill the first of which was the Civic Theatre. The 100-year-old impressive structure is one of Invercargill’s landmark buildings, which serves as the cultural heart of the Southland community. The Theatre is ideally located in the heart of the inner city of Invercargill, surrounded by cafés, retail shops and a multi story car park.
The second symbolic building was Splash Palace, an indoor Aquatic Centre that is one of the most premier aquatic facilities in New Zealand. The centre’s unique southern coastal theme, the leisure pool with waves, the waterslide, the spa, the steam room and the café makes it a haven for families.
Our last stop was Stadium Southland and the ILT Velodrome. Stadium Southland is much more than just a venue- it is a world class multi-purpose stadium with unique facilities perfect for staging any indoor event. They stage a variety of top entertainment, sporting and cultural events each year from International netball to Davis Cup tennis, concerts to boat shows and in-door equestrian exhibitions. Next door is the Invercargill ILT Velodrome, which is the only indoor velodrome in New Zealand.
Word travels fast in a small city. Once Carla from Market South caught wind of our arrival and lack of activities to do she too offered to take us on a tour of Invercargill. Her tour consisted of a visit to the Seriously Good Chocolate Company, the Glowing Sky Merino retail shop and a drive along Oreti beach.
The Seriously Good Chocolate Company
Forget Charlie and The Chocolate Factory because the story of Jane and The Seriously Good Chocolate Company is much better! The Seriously Good Chocolate Company has been a sweet success since owner Jane Stanton started the company in 2001. Jane took us for a behind the scenes tour of her company and allowed us to experience the taste of her chocolate, view the creation of her iconic ranges and explore our own personalities through chocolate. My favourites were the liquorice, Sambuca and coconut cream as well as the wine infused chocolate. I wonder what that says about my personality…
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www.exploretainment.comNot to your taste? How about 42 Below feijoa and vodka chocolates? Or perhaps some Gibbston Valley pinot noir with real cherries chocolates? Jane has something for everyone.
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www.exploretainment.comAfter our tour Jane could not let us leave empty handed and gave me a box of her Story of Wine As Told By Chocolate. It features the essence of wines from the likes of Allen Scott, Gibbston Valley, Chruch Road and Sam Neilll’s Two Paddocks. It has to be said that Jane knows how to make SERIOUSLY GOOD CHOCOLATE.
Glowing Sky Merino
Glowing Sky is across the road from the chocolate shop so we stopped in there to speak with the original creator of the brand, Dil Belworthy. Dil and his wife Cath started Glowing Sky as a ‘hobby’ on Stewart Island in 1997. What may have started as a hobby has turned into a very successful business with retail shops on Stewart and Waiheke Islands, Wanaka and Invercargill. Their products are made using the finest quality New Zealand knitted fabrics and are among the finest woollen fabrics in the world. If you like merino clothing or if you are a fan of good quality clothes than this is a must see.
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www.exploretainment.comOreti Beach
Oreti beach was a key location for the film ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, which tells the story of Southland’s motorcycling hero Burt Munro. We drove onto the beach and up and down the sand dunes doing 360degree turns almost tipping at one point. Only kidding, Carla was a very placid driver, allowing us to absorb the beautiful views of Oreti Beach.
Kelvin Hotel
After a long day of touring the city it was very nice to come back to the Kelvin Hotel and just chill out. It was a very strange feeling arriving at a hotel with a concierge and room service after staying in B&Bs for so long. It was kind of nice to have the option of eating in with room service and that is exactly what I did!
Positioned in the heart of Invercargill, and just a short walk to major attractions, the Kelvin Hotel caters for both the business traveler and leisure guest. The hotel features magnificent facilities including a house bar, restaurant, bottle store, and Chances Bar with Pokies and TAB.
Our room featured a double and a single bed and had spectacular views over the inner city of Invercargill.
The deluxe hotel room was very modern and included tea and coffee making facilities as well as all your other modern conveniences (hairdryer, iron, mini bar etc).
Prices start from $99 a night. Visit their website for more information http://www.kelvinhotel.co.nz/
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