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Explore South Canterbury
DON’T MISS!
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We recommend exploring the heart of South Canterbury by bike or hike. These are both great ways to soak up the coastal, rural and riverbased scenery which switches from the coast to a subalpine terrain in an instant. You also can’t beat the fishing here. The Rangitata River in the north and Waitaki River in the south are two of New Zealand’s premier salmon-fishing rivers.
Peel Forest, Geraldine
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7 THINGS TO DO IN GERALDINE
1. Hit the shops
Retail therapy is a must in Geraldine, especially if you appreciate stylish clothes made from quality fibres such as possum fur, merino and wool. Check out The Tin Shed and Kiwi Country for starters, and don’t skip the Giant Jersey knitwear store.
2. Go stargazing
The Geraldine Observatory is operated by an enthusiastic local astronomer. Gaze at a night’s sky smeared with stars and hit him up with all your Milky Way-related questions.
3. Tuck in
The quaint township of Geraldine is also a haven for foodies. Home to delicious local cheeses, fruit preserves and homemade chocolates, don’t stop until you’ve tried them all.
4. Find the market
Get yourself along to the Geraldine Farmers’ Market – held every Saturday over the summer months. Taste mighty fine produce and sip on superb coffee.
5. Discover a Kiwi institution
Barker’s much-loved preserves are slathered across breads and burnt toast the length and breadth of New Zealand. Visit the Barker’s Foodstore & Eatery for a jam good time.
6. Go vintage
Admire the shiny array of classic cars at The Vintage Car and Machinery Museum.
7. Go forest bathing
A convenient five-minute stroll from Geraldine’s main street leads to Talbot Forest,. home to four, easy short walks and many trees that have celebrated their 800th birthdays. For more extensive walks, Peel Forest is 23km north of Geraldine and offers 13 native forest trails.
Wish you were here... Timaru
Timaru
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Timaru may be the second largest city in Canterbury but there’s a distinct ‘no worries, no hurries’ sentiment here. Visitors are encouraged to meander along Caroline Bay Beach, complete with obligatory ice cream, and a peruse of the Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden. Find out how beer is made and meet the Clydesdale dray horses on a tour of the DB Draught Brewery, then admire the town’s fluttering of Victorian and Edwardian buildings constructed from local volcanic bluestone. Centennial Park is Timaru’s main mountain biking area. The small valley was once a quarry but is now a mountain bike mecca.
Venture a little further afield to Temuka, where Temuka Pottery Shop is a highlight, or Waitohi which boasts a memorial to daring aviator, Richard Pearse.
Get exploring
The free-to-visit Aigantighe Art Gallery (pronounced ‘egg-an-tie’) houses a wide collection of artwork and sculptures scattered across its grounds. South Canterbury Museum provides history buffs with a rich insight into the region and its people, including the legend of Richard Pearse, a young pioneer who built an entire aircraft in his shed in 1903. For those interested in the area’s Māori significance, Te Ana Māori Rock Art museum includes an interactive exhibit and exciting ramble into remote farmland to observe caves and rock art. Finish your cultural excursions with a visit to Pleasant Point Museum and Railway, albeit a 20-minute drive from Timaru, it has ‘steaming days’ where you can ride a restored steam locomotive.
