South Island is sometimes referred to as the "mainland" of New Zealand and it is a cultured place.
 It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft), making it 9th-highest island, with the high Kaikura Ranges to the northeast
Other native reserves and parksHakatere Conservation Park== Natural history ==During the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South Islands were connected by a vast coastal plain which formed at the South Taranaki Bight

