Picturesque Lumsden sits at the elbow of the Oreti River in the upper reaches of Southland.
Lumsden is located about an hour’s drive north from Invercargill and an hour south of Queenstown. Once a major railway junction with lines departing to all four points of the compass, now heritage buildings line the main streets, housing a number of quirky cafes, bars and restaurants.
The town is a stopover on some of the nation's premier cycle routes including the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail, and riders can meander through high country farms, scenic lakes, rivers and diverse landscapes surrounding Lumsden. The stunning Northern Southland scenery can be enhanced by spending a night in the backcountry huts sprinkled along the way.
If you’re up for something a little daring and fast-paced, Welcome Rock Trails(opens in new window) offer single track mountain bike trails – hand built on one of New Zealand’s longest historic water races.
The Mataura and Oreti Rivers are widely considered the best dry fly fishing rivers in the world and the surrounding hills and waterways provide bush-clad outdoor adventure sites popular with trampers, anglers, campers and boaties. With easy public access, plentiful fish and water so clear it is often described as ‘gin-clear’.
The near-by town of Mossburn is regarded as New Zealand's deer farming capital; both wild and farmed venison can be found on menus in and around the Southland region.
