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Just 10 km west of central Invercargill, Oreti Beach is easily reached in your rental car. It’s one of three bays on the Foveaux Strait coastal stretch, between Toetoes and Te Waewae bays.

When you first set eyes upon this 26 km stretch of smooth sand you’ll see why this was Burt Munro’s preferred test ground and racing track. This is where the Southland man practised riding on his Indian motorbike, which then went on to break world records for land speed at the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, in the USA. No surprise, then, that Oreti Beach was a key filming location for the movie about Munro’s life, The World’s Fastest Indian.

Head toward the southern end of Oreti Beach and you will come across Sandy Point. There was once a whaling station here, set up in the 1800s, although it was short-lived, along with a Maori settlement by the name of Oue.

This natural reserve is ideal for exploring on foot, mountain bike, or even on horseback. There are more than a dozen welcoming biking tracks, and 13 km worth of various walking trails, all well signposted. Sand dunes coexist with forests of matai, totara, rimu and miro. Along with the marshes and mudflats and the banks of the Oreti River, conditions are perfect for masses of plant and animal life alike.

Bring your surfboard along too because there are several good spots to get out among the waves. While the breaks are good the ocean can be cold so be prepared!

Head out to Stirling Point, the southernmost point on the mainland, and snap a picture at its iconic signpost. The much-photographed signpost is one of New Zealand’s most well-known landmarks; it displays the distance to major cities in the world such as Tokyo, Sydney and New York (as well as more esoteric destinations like the South Pole and equator!).

From Stirling Point, you can embark on a scenic walk. The two-hour Foveaux Walk guides you around the southern coast line, towards Lookout Point for great views out over Foveaux Strait. The one-hour Topuni Track leads from Stirling Point to Bluff Hill, past a historic WWII gun emplacement. This also meets up with the Glory Track, which in turn leads to the Foveaux Walkway. From Lookout Point, there’s the Millennium Track that goes to Bluff Hill, as well as the Ocean Beach Track that leads to its namesake.

These trails span a variety of scrub, private farmland and native bush (complete with lots of native birdlife). A walk to the top of Bluff Hill is a must for panoramic views over the peninsula, beaches and rocky coastline, Foveaux Strait and out to Stewart Island/Rakiura. Driving to the summit of Bluff Hill is also an option.

Stirling Point is located in Bluff — just half an hour from Invercargill in your rental car. It is at the far southern end of State Highway 1, which runs the full length of New Zealand up to Cape Reinga in the north. Stirling Point was originally named after Captain William Stirling, who established a nearby whaling station in the early 19th century.

The Catlins coast lies along the southeastern corner of the South Island (about an hour and a half from Invercargill in your rental car). This untouched and remote part of the country is well worth visiting — there’s so much waiting to be discovered.

The landscapes of the Catlins are rife with rugged rocky coastline, sweeping sandy beaches and lush green hills; waterfalls, estuaries and valleys.

At Nugget Point you’ll find a lighthouse dating back to the 1800s, overlooking the scattered rocks that gave the place its name. There’s a fur seal colony that you can look down to, and during the summer months, elephant seals have been known to stop over in this area. Also look out for Hector’s dolphins, Hooker’s sea lions, and three different species of penguin.

Curio Bay conceals an ancient fossilised forest, dating back over 100 million years to the Jurassic period when New Zealand was still part of Gondwanaland. Visit at low tide, when the forest is best seen from the viewing platform. Yellow-eyed penguins come ashore here in the later afternoon, and at nearby Porpoise Bay dolphins are a common sight in the summer.

The impressive Purakaunui Falls cascade prettily over three levels and a depth of 20 metres. Set within beech and podocarp forest, it’s a great spot for photography. There are viewing platforms at both the top and the bottom of the falls.

There’s Jack’s Blowhole, a magnificent sight: 55 metres deep and 200 metres inland. This cavity was formed when the roof of a giant subterranean cave collapsed. Now, when the tide is in, waves gush through the tunnel and erupt up out of the blowhole, with a roaring sound and explosive appearance. From this area, you’ll also enjoy spectacular views over the coast, all the way down to Penguin Bay and beyond.

One of the best-known attractions in all of the Catlins is the majestic Cathedral Caves. Named for their resemblance to old European-style churches, they tower more than 30 metres overhead. Test out your whistling skills or singing voice as the resounding acoustics here are really quite remarkable. The Cathedral Caves are only accessible at low tide and there is a small entrance fee because access is via private land.

The country’s only heavy machinery playground is just a five-minute drive from Invercargill’s CBD, a place where you can get behind the wheel of a digger, skid steer or bulldozer and rip, push, pull and smash stuff. Kids five and over can operate a mini digger (a 1.7-tonne stationary digger); heavier machines have higher age restrictions. You’ll be fully instructed by the Dig This team, and you don’t even need to have a driver’s licence to take part (although everyone’s breath-tested before they get behind the wheel).

If not everyone in your group wants to participate, that’s fine, too. The Dig This viewing platform accommodates up to 100 onlookers, and there’s a sandpit where the littlest ones can play.

Mini diggers are a good introduction to heavy machinery, suitable for children five and up as well as grown-ups, and those with disabilities. Other options include the Aggression Session, where you get to crush a car (they say it’s more fun than therapy!), Big Dig (operate a 15-tonne digger, play digger basketball, and do 360-degree spins), and Big Push (get behind a 15-tonne bulldozer and destroy everything in your path).

Wearing light layers is recommended, and you’ll need to wear closed-toe shoes. You’ll also need to have a good comprehension of spoken English (so that you can follow what your instructor is telling you while you’re on the field).

Dig This Invercargill is part of Transport World and is located at 84 Otepuni Ave, Invercargill.