South Canterbury
Talk to a Local Bob Jenson
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Operator of Tales and Trails, Geraldine Guided Walks My top five must-do’s for visitors would have to be… • Geraldine Talbot Forest Walks, to see a remnant of pre-colonial podocarp forest. • A visit with tastings of medalwinning gins at Humdinger Gin Distillery, Geraldine’s newest craft industry. • Join the ancestors of Ngai Tahu (the local iwi) as they guide you through the Te Ana Rock Art Gallery in Timaru. • The Timaru Coastal Walkway is an easy track including Caroline Bay with its piazza, blue penguin sightings at the right time of year and lighthouses from seafaring days of yore. • Indulge a passion and visit our art galleries: the Aigantighe in Timaru and the Talbot Street galleries in Geraldine.
You might not have heard of it, but the perfect place to visit is Waitohi Reserve with expansive views of the South Canterbury Plains, Four Peak Mountain Range and the foothills of the Southern Alps, with magnificent sunsets and stargazing besides. I’m starting to feel hungry just thinking about medal-winning cheeses from Geraldine Cheese Company and the best pizzas that I have tasted, at an excellent price, at Be Foodies in Geraldine. I also recommend visitors indulge in the sauces, jams, chutneys and syrups at Barkers of Geraldine. For a delightful day trip, head to Mesopotamia Station– an historic site at the head of the Rangitata River Valley. Living in Canterbury is awesome because you can do almost anything here; beachcomb, appeal to your creativity with arts and crafts, get away and bike, hike, kayak, raft or even fly. And you can end the day with a perfect coffee.
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LEFT: Three Creeks, Burkes Pass © Hollie Woodhouse FAR LEFT: Aoraki Mt Cook © Getty Images
See Map Section - pages 109 to 122
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