Queens Park Playground

If you haven’t taken the kids to Queens Park yet, you’re missing out on one of Invercargill’s best free days out. The water play area is the obvious drawcard — on a warm Southland day it gets busy fast, so go early. The gardens here are genuinely impressive, the kind you’d expect from a bigger city, and the open grass gives everyone room to spread out. Walking paths wind through the whole park, so it’s easy to make a proper afternoon of it. Good for all ages, honestly.