Things to do in Timaru
Timaru Information
Timaru District sits at the doorstep of many inland lakes where sailing, water skiing, boating, windsurfing and fishing are popular summer pastimes.
At least five Central South Island ski fields are within easy distance – all less than two hours drive from the coast.
Whether it’s dropping a line from the wharf at Timaru in the hope of hooking a fish, sailing offshore on the sparkling Pacific Ocean, or tramping in nature’s bush-clad hills, there’s something to interest the whole family in a District which takes pride in its many assets.
The Aigantighe (a Scots Gaelic word pronounced “egg and tie”) Art Gallery in Wai-iti Road is the South Island’s third largest art museum and one of the best art galleries in the country.
It holds a collection of New Zealand, Pacific, Asian and European art works from the sixteenth century to the present day and includes a sculpture garden. The gallery was founded in 1956 and is housed in a homestead built in 1908.
The South Canterbury Museum is the main museum for the region, containing exhibits relating to physical geography and the environment, fossil remains.
A collection of Maori rock art, the early settlement of the district, local maritime history, scrimshaw, the E P Seally natural history collection, and information about Richard Pearse, a local inventor and his attempts at manned flight in the first years of the 20th century.
