The Southland Plains is a general name given to several areas of low-lying land in the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand, separated by the rise of the Hokonui Hills

Hokonui Hills

The Hokonui Hills, also known as The Hokonui Mountains or simply The Hokonui, are a range of hills in northern Southland, New Zealand. They rise to 600 metres above the surrounding Southland Plains, of which the hills mark a northern extremity....

 in the north. It forms a sizeable area of Southland Region

Southland Region

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...

 and encompasses its two principal settlements the city of Invercargill

Invercargill

Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...

 and the town of Gore

Gore, New Zealand

Gore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...

. The Southland Plains include some of New Zealand's most fertile farmland.

Geography

The Plains extend from the Waiau River

Waiau River, Southland

Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres before reaching the Foveaux Strait eight kilometres south of Tuatapere...

 in the west to the Mataura River

Mataura River

The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 190 kilometres in length.The river's headwaters are located in mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward...

 which forms the border with Otago

Otago

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

 to the east. It can be divided into three broad areas: the Southland plain proper, the Waimea Plains

Waimea Plains

The Waimea Plains is the name of two areas of land at opposite ends of the South Island of New Zealand.-Waimea Plains, Tasman:The northern area with this name is a small but fertile area of low-lying land south of the city of Nelson...

 and the lower Waiau plain to the west near the Waiau river.

The Southland and Waimea Plains are separated by the uplands of the Hokonui Hills, which lie to the west of Gore. The Soutland plain lies to the north of the city of Invercargill, and is formed by several large rivers, the Aparima

Aparima River

The Aparima River is located in Southland, New Zealand. It has its headwaters in the Takitimu Mountains, south of Lake Te Anau, and flows south for 100 kilometres before entering Foveaux Strait near Riverton at the north end of Oreti Beach....

, the Oreti

Oreti River

The Oreti River is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is 170 kilometres in length.The Oreti has its headwaters close to the Mavora Lakes between Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu, and flows south across the Southland Plains to its outflow into Foveaux Strait at the southeastern end...

, and the Makarewa

Makarewa River

The Makarewa River is the largest tributary of the Oreti River, and is located in Southland, New Zealand. It flows for 60 kilometres from its source in the Hokonui Hills, joining the Oreti just north of Invercargill....

. They stretch inland for over 45 kilometres from the coast of the Foveaux Strait

Foveaux Strait

Foveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander...

, and cover an area of close to 1500 km².

To the northeast of Invercargill, the Waimea Plains of the Mataura River and its tributary the Waimea River

Waimea River

Waimea River may refer to*The Waimea River on the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii.*Either of two Waimea Rivers in New Zealand**Waimea River in the south of the South Island...

 stretch inland as far as the town of Gore. At their southern extreme they become the Awarua Plain

Awarua Plain

thumb|Awarua Plain , [[Tiwai Point]] and [[Bluff, New Zealand|Bluff]] viewed from the [[International Space Station]] in 2008....

, a large area of marshy land which stretches from near Bluff

Bluff, New Zealand

Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...

 to the foot of the Catlins

The Catlins

The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions...

 in the far east. Between them, the lowlands around the Awarua Plain and Mataura River cover a further 2000 km².

To the west lies the lower Waiau plain which is situated around the mouth of the Waiau River. This smaller region is wedged between the Longwood Range

Longwood Range

The Longwood Range is a range of hills to the west of the Southland Plains, Southland, New Zealand. There are many small towns and localities situated around the periphery of these hills: clockwise from the south-east, these include Riverton, Pourakino Valley, Colac Bay, Pahia, Orepuki, Tuatapere,...

 to the east and Fiordland

Fiordland

Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys...

to the west.