Panorama showing the view over parts of Timaru

Timaru - Timaru visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Timaru' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Canterbury.

Timaru is a major port town in near the southern border of Canterbury on South Island of New Zealand. Around the town are other smaller agricultural settlements such as Pleasant Point, Temuka and Geraldine, each of which have a few thousand inhabitants. The town of Waimate is about 40 kilometers to the south on the road to Oamaru and Dunedin. Timaru has much to offer the visitor, within easy access of both Christchurch and Dunedin, and a gateway to the hinterland with picturesque bays and beaches. Visit the Tourist Information Centre to find out everything you need to know about the entire area, hotels and holiday activities.

Settlement of the Timaru area dates back to around 1400 when Māori tribes lived here. There are over 500 sites with traces of Māori rock art in the area, particularly in the Opuha and Opihi river valleys to the west of Timaru. In 1839 the Weller Brothers established a whaling station at Patiti Point close to the town center, and another at Wellers Rock on the Otago Peninsula. Caroline Bay is named after the supply ship 'The Caroline' used at this time. In 1859 another 120 immigrants arrived form England on the SS Strathallan and the era of European settlers really began.

Today much of Timaru revolves around the tourism industry. The Old Landing Services building next to Timaru Railway Station has been converted into a Tourist Information Centre. Some of the attractions in Timaru include the South Canterbury Museum, the Aigantighe Art Gallery, the The Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden at Caroline Bay and the Timaru Botanic Gardens. Near Timaru are the Centennial Park Reserve and Otipua Creek.

Timaru is on the 1 Highway about 160 kilometres south of Christchurch and about 200 kilometres north of Dunedin