Let KAYAK do the searching
Based on KAYAK hotel searches, the most popular destination is Queenstown (46% of total searches to South Island). The next most popular destinations are Christchurch (35%) and Te Anau (13%). Searches for hotels in Arrowtown (6%) are also popular.
KAYAK users have found double rooms in South Island for as cheap as €37 (Hokitika) in the last 3 days. The average price is €171.