Invercargill (pop. 54,204) is the main city of Southland in the South Island of New Zealand. Invercargill is 17 miles (27 kilometers) north of Bluff, Southland’s chief port, and about 140 miles (225 kilometers) south of Dunedin.
Invercargill stands on flat land. Builders reclaimed much of its industrial area from the mouth of a river near the center of the city. To the visitor, its most noticeable feature is its wide streets. The city is the prosperous center of a large farming area. A large aluminum smelter operates at Tiwai Point, just south of the city. It draws its power from the Manapouri hydroelectric project.
Road and rail links connect Invercargill with the rest of the South Island . Buses provide local transportation. Airlines offer transport between Invercargill and other major New Zealand cities.
Invercargill has one daily newspaper, the Southland Times. The Southland Museum and Art Gallery, housed in a pyramid-shaped building, showcases the work of New Zealand artists.
Invercargill has extensive public gardens. The Otepuni Stream flows through the southern part of the city. The stream has gardens along its banks. The largest park in the city, Queens Park, includes a golf course. The city has several other golf courses as well as a large indoor bicycle racing track, a rugby park, arenas, and swimming pools. In the northern part of the city is an area of native bush known as Thomson’s Bush.
In 1855, James Kelly, a former sealer, and his wife became the first settlers on the site of Invercargill. In 1857, the town was named for Otago superintendent William Walter Cargill. The town became a borough in 1871 and a city in 1930.
