An Obsession With Wheels

If it moves, chances are – Southland wants to celebrate it. We’re New Zealand’s leading destination for petrolheads.

Invercargill is many things. It is home to some of the friendliest folks in the country, on the doorstep of spectacular national parks in Fiordland and Stewart Island Rakiura, and it’s the rightful home of the cheese roll.

It is also – thanks to the development of some seriously world-class visitor attractions – New Zealand’s leading destination for petrolheads.

We’ll be honest: we’ve got a thing with wheels. Whether it’s Burt Munro and bikes, Bill Richardson and trucks, or George Begg and motorsport – we love to celebrate the vehicle in all of its forms.

One of the key drivers for the development of visitor attractions like Classic Motorcycle Mecca, Bill Richardson Transport World and Dig This Invercargill is to establish a real point of difference for our city. The tourism market is a tough nut to crack, and we wanted to create something that really put Invercargill on the map. Maybe everybody in town has got a little bit of what made Burt Munro tick running through their veins, too. That’s why we decided to set ourselves the goal to make Invercargill New Zealand’s leading destination for petrolheads.

Our city has fast become a must-see for people who, like us, love to celebrate cars, motorcycles, trucks, machinery and more.

Classic Motorcycle Mecca is a natural hub every year when the Burt Munro Challenge is held, and it is also the epicentre of the annual tribute to George Begg, which began in February 2020. Why? We think the answer is obvious – there aren’t many places as passionate about wheels as we are.

So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself to Invercargill, quick, and find out what makes our town so special.