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 £19 (Te Anau) in the last 3 days. The average price is £148.