Ticking off the bucket list, ending a journey or making it the first stop, the sign at the end - or beginning - of State Highway 1 draws them in.
The Otago Daily Times visited Stirling Point this week and discovered why the magnetic Bluff signpost continued to attract so many travellers, who come from near and far.
Within an hour there were people from Mexico, Asia, the South Pacific and Palmerston North descending on the signpost, for the obligatory photograph. Some lean, some stand tall, others bring fish caught nearby.
Chinese tourists Ya Zhang and Yanny Sun were motivated to see the sign because they thought it was meaningful to visit "the most southern part of the world".
Invercargill resident Saili Peteru brought relatives from Samoa to show off the local attraction.
Silver Muse cruise ship passengers stopped for photos at the landmark on the first leg of their New Zealand tour.
"We are originally from Mexico and Bluff is the first place we’ve stepped foot on in New Zealand," Alfonso Portilla said.
Fellow cruise passengers Peter and June Blonk, of Queensland, were delighted the ship had docked at such "a well-known place".
Visiting the Bluff signpost was a special day out for the Wihongi, Jackson,Wells and Kora extended family, who wanted to remember loved ones who had died.
"Last year we lost our dad, so we brought our mum down from the Bay of Plenty to be together.
"We live in Invercargill but this place holds good memories for us," Lee Wells said.
Akamsi Naso, of Fiji, said she came to appreciate the township’s heritage buildings and architecture.
The Adjmani family, of Melbourne, said the signpost was "a must-see place".
Yeap Rou Yi, of Malaysia, ticked off the Bluff sign on her "bucket list".
Tom Sumner and Caitlyn Shyman drove from Palmerston North to Bluff and were thrilled about their first southern fish catch.
"We caught our fish just off the rocks over there," Ms Shyman said.
The signpost has been there for many years and was last given a spruce-up in 2018.
Stirling Point was named after Captain William Stirling, who established a whaling station nearby in 1836.
- By Nina Tapu
