Athol, Southland Map

About Athol, Southland

Athol is a locality in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It sits at an elevation of around 276 m above sea level. It lies approximately 100 km north of Invercargill, the regional capital. Athol is located at 45.5167°S, 168.5833°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT).

Athol rests in a wide, fertile valley, cradled by the gentle slopes that rise towards the more rugged Slate Range to the west. It lies 99.9 km north of Invercargill (from Invercargill: bearing 10°T), and is situated 54.4 km south of Queenstown. The land here is a patchwork of emerald pastures, bisected by the sinuous silver thread of the Mataura River, which flows steadily some three kilometres distant. Beyond the cultivated fields, the land softens into rolling hills, their contours softened by the persistent, often luminous Southland light. In the distance, the darker greens of Peters Bush suggest a wilder interior, a place where native trees hold sway. The air itself carries a crispness, a clean, earthy scent hinting at the rich soil and the distant, cool breath of the southern uplands.

The history of Athol is deeply entwined with the agricultural backbone of this region, a legacy of hard work and a connection to the land that persists today. For generations, sheep and beef farming have shaped the economy and the very character of the district, with the broad plains and undulating hills proving ideal for livestock. The Mataura River, a vital artery, has long supported these endeavours, its waters a constant presence in the lives of those who call Athol home. While no grand monuments mark its past, the quiet persistence of its farming communities speaks volumes of its enduring spirit. The nearby Lake Gow, a tranquil expanse some twenty-five kilometres away, offers a different kind of beauty, a still counterpoint to the flowing river and the ever-present sky.

About This Athol Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Athol, Southland, New Zealand at coordinates -45.51667, 168.58333. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Athol.

Athol sits within the Southland Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Athol is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.