Southern Paws is a small furry camping convention on the South Island of New Zealand, held at the Waipara Adventure Centre near Christchurch. Launched in 2019 as the South Island's first furry convention, it swaps hotel ballrooms for cabins, bunkrooms, and the outdoors over a long weekend.
Heads up: Southern Paws is on hiatus, and no next edition has been announced. It did not run in 2025, and its official website is offline. Check the convention's Facebook page for the latest before making any plans.
Southern Paws has not confirmed a 2026 edition. After a pause, the organizers have signalled interest in bringing the camp back, but no dates, theme, or registration details have been published, and the event is not listed on the main Oceania convention calendars. Treat any circulating dates with caution, since the "May" dates sometimes seen online are carried over from the 2023 edition, and watch the official channels for a genuine announcement.
Southern Paws is a small, outdoor convention held at a former scout campsite rather than a city hotel. For South Island furries it has historically been the closest event to home, sparing a flight to the North Island or to Australia. The camp format is informal, with shared cabins, communal meals, and themed programming that has ranged from fantasy to tabletop and costuming. It is held in rural North Canterbury, about an hour north of Christchurch. Under the organizer's 2023 FAQ, weekend passes were limited to attendees 18 and over, while day passes were open to all ages, with under-16s supervised by a legal guardian at all times.
Schedule and programming for 2026 is not published yet.
Not published yet.
By air: Christchurch International Airport (CHC) is the main gateway to the South Island and the closest major airport, roughly an hour's drive south of the Waipara area.
By car: The Waipara Adventure Centre is on Darnley Road near Glasnevin/Waipara in North Canterbury, about an hour north of Christchurch via State Highway 1. A car (or a shared ride with other attendees) is the most practical way to reach the rural campsite.
By transit: Public transport to the campsite is limited given its rural location; most attendees drive or arrange carpools from Christchurch. Coordinate transport through the convention's channels once an edition is announced.
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Southern Paws is a camping convention, so your accommodation is the venue itself: the Waipara Adventure Centre, a former scout campsite with cabins and bunkrooms. There is no separate hotel to book, since attendees stay on-site for the duration.
Because capacity at a campsite is limited, registration historically filled the available spots quickly once an edition opened.
A year-by-year record of this convention.
Open an edition to see the details that belong to that year.
No dated record is held for this year. The write-up below is what the page says about it.
Southern Paws 2023 ran May 12-15 with a Fantasy theme spanning Dungeons & Dragons, Middle Earth, wizards, witches, and warriors, at the Waipara Adventure Centre.
No dated record is held for this year. The write-up below is what the page says about it.
The convention returned to the Waipara Adventure Centre for its 2021 edition, held April 30 to May 3.
No dated record is held for this year. The write-up below is what the page says about it.
Southern Paws launched August 9-11, 2019 as the South Island's first furry convention, organized by chair Votter and co-chair Baz. The organizers set themselves a target of about 70 people including staff; they never published how many actually turned up.
2026
Dates TBA
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