Slope Point Travel Guide

Slope Point

Slope Point is the furthest south you can get on the South Island. Immediately beyond you'll find the windy Waipapa point and the scene of New Zealand's second-worst maritime nightmare. In 1881 only 20 (out of 151) people were to survive the wrecking of the SS Tararua 1km off shore. The lighthouse was built in 1884 to prevent any such disasters reoccurring and the graveyard is both a commemoration and a final resting-ground for the dead.

Get back on the SH92 and head to Invercargill. Immediately after passing Fortrose lie the Awarua Wetlands regions. This is a 14,000 hectare scientific reserves comprising the Waituna, Seaward Moss and Toetoes reserves. These sites are protected areas for wading birds and various types of vegetation such as the red tussock grasslands as well as to support the estuarine and salt marsh communities.