Lonely Planet's guide to the South Island includes Wellington

Queenstown offers a 'what can we think of next?' array of adventure activities, says Lonely Planet's new South Island guide. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Lonely Planet's first guide dedicated solely to the South Island has an addition that may flummox some readers - 32 pages of information pertaining to Wellington.

But Adam Bennett, media and communications manager for Lonely Planet, said the addition was intentional.

"It's an acknowledgement of Wellington as a travel hub," he explained, adding that many tourists fly into the capital and spend a few days there before heading south.

The need for a South Island-only guide was established after research by Lonely Planet revealed a number of international visitors were choosing to bypass the North Island altogether on their trips to New Zealand.

According to Bennett, 320,000 Australians, 61,000 Britons and 43,000 Americans fall into that category each year.

The South Island guide was "very much in direct response to travel demand, reader demand", he said.

"It removes the need for [South Island tourists] to buy our much heavier guide to New Zealand."

The guide praises the South Island's "eye-popping panorama and heart-pumping outdoor activities".

"Truly wild places are rare in today's world but the South Island delivers them in droves: fiords, sounds, glaciers, cloud-topping mountain ranges, remote islands, raggedy peninsulas and wide river plains," it reads.

"And when you come in from the wild you'll find the table is laid: Kaikoura crayfish, Marlborough sauvignon blanc, Motueka kiwifruit, Oamaru kumara and Greymouth ale."

However the guide also mentions the negative impact tourism is having on some aspects of the South Island wilderness, with campers who shampoo their hair in the pristine waters of the Catlins garnering a special mention.

It also said locals were avoiding large chunks of the island because of the number of tourists and noted the invasive nature of the droning planes in the skies above Franz Josef and Queenstown.

Highlights of the south according to New Zealand's South Island

Tramping in Fiordland: "New Zealand's rawest wilderness area, a jagged, mountainous, forested zone sliced by numerous deeply recessed sounds (which are technically fiords) reaching inland like crooked fingers from the Tasman Sea."

Washing down oysters with wine in Marlborough: "The name of the genius who discovered that Marlborough's cool, sunny climate is perfect for growing grapes has been lost to history, but the wine world is now toasting his (or her) legacy: Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Wine Region is a world-class winner."

Skiing the slopes around Queenstown: "With a cinematic background of mountains and lakes you actually have seen in the movies, and a 'what can we think of next?' array of adventure activities, it's little wonder that the South Island's premier tourist town tops many travellers' Kiwi itineraries."

Taking a city break in Christchurch: "Undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most liveable cities, combining an easy-going provincial charm with the emerging energy and verve of a metropolis. Modern bars and restaurants complement Gothic architecture, and locals know how lucky they are to blend all the attractions of a city with the relaxed ambience of a small town."