Let KAYAK do the searching
Based on KAYAK hotel searches, the most popular destination is Queenstown (45% of total searches to South Island). The next most popular destinations are Christchurch (36%) and Lake Tekapo (11%). Searches for hotels in Wanaka (9%) are also popular.
KAYAK users have found double rooms in South Island for as cheap as £14 (Dunedin) in the last 3 days. The average price is £155.
In the last 72 hours, users have found South Island hotels for tonight for as low as £30 (Nelson). Users have also found 3-star hotels from £32 (Hokitika) and 4-star+ hotels from £43 (Christchurch).