Invercargill Tourist Attractions
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Invercargill, New Zealand's southernmost town, lies in an open plain on the banks of the New River estuary. It was laid out from 1856 onwards by the town planner John T Thomson on a geometric plan, with broad streets and open spaces.
Southland Museum and Art Gallery
The town's principal sight is the Southland Museum and Art Gallery. It has fine natural history collections from the Southland region (including petrified wood from nearby Curio Bay) and relics of the wild days of the whalers, but its particular treasures are its examples of Maori arts and crafts. The art gallery is housed in a striking pyramidal building at the entrance to Queen's Park.
Tuatara House
The Tuatara House provides near-natural conditions for specimens of this lizard-like reptile that dates back to the time of the dinosaurs and is now very rare.Tuatara House is located in the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.
Kelvin Chambers
The Kelvin Chambers (1864) recall Southland's short-lived independent provincial government; the region broke away from Otago in 1861 but was reincorporated in it in 1870.
Queen's Park
Queen's Park, (80ha) with various sports grounds, a duck pond, a game park and a children's playground, is entered from Queen's Drive.
Town Hall
The town hall, a symmetrical building built in 1906 by ER Wilson, reflects the prosperity of the town in those days.
