Invercargill offers visitors an interesting new tour of heritage sites and diverse open spaces. This half day tour is best undertaken by vehicle, with stops for walking in gardens, bush and the Invercargill city centre. The tour can start at any point.

The Heritage Trail highlights Invercargill's wide variety, proximity and coherence of historic architectural style that makes the city unique. The prosperity of the 1880's and 1890's is evident in the wealth of quality Victorian buildings and examples of Edwardian architecture. The large number of Art Deco style buildings indicates the Depression of the 1930's, while the wool boom in the 1950's is evident by buildings in the style of the modernist movement.

The Heritage Trail also explores some of J T Thomson's legacy as surveyor of the city, including the 40 metre wide streets in the City Centre, the grid iron street layout and the town belt reserves.

The trail sites are numbered as follows:
1. Southland Museum and Art Gallery
2. Queens Park*
3. Water Tower*
4. Thomson's Bush
5. Donovan Park
6. Anderson Park*
7. Railway Hotel and Menzies Building*
8. The Crescent / Bank Corner / The Wall / Post Office*
9. Tay Street / Civic Theatre / YMCA Precinct / St John's Church*
10. WEA / Esk Street / Provincial Chambers*
11. Don Street / Dee Street Facades*
12. First Church*
13. Masonic Lodge*
14. Otepuni Gardens*
15. St Mary's Basilica*
16. Stead Street Wharf*
17. Sandy Point
18. Oreti Beach

* denotes a New Zealand Historic Places Trust Site

Pick up an Invercargill Heritage Trail brochure, which includes a map and full description of the trail sites from the Invercargill Visitor Information Centre or your Invercargill accommodation provider.