South Island is the larger of the two major islands (the other is North island) of New Zealand. South Island has a third more land than North Island but with a significant smaller population. The island attracted many European settlers in the late 19th century during the gold rush period. Unfortunately, the island was marked by three earthquakes between 2010 and 2011 that tragically ended up with a few hundred deaths and destruction of national landmarks. South Island is known as the "Home of the Adventurers" because of its numerous, adventurous acitivities such as trekking a glacier or jetboating in Queenstown!