The South Island of New Zealand is characterized by grand open landscapes and a sense of space and freedom. Divided by a backbone of mountain aptly called the Southern Alps, the South Island has spectacular snow-topped mountains and deep, clean fiords, extensive southern beech forests, broad plains and golden sand beaches. Generally cooler and drier in climate than the North Island but don`t forget sun block and T-shirts - temperatures routinely top 30°C 86°F in summer. The sea moderates winter temperatures so they rarely drop much below freezing except in mountainous regions.