-	All photographs of Waimate

Waimate is a town and district in South Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. It is 46 km south of Timaru and 20 km north of the Waitaki River.

The Waimate District is bounded by the Pareora River in the north, the Waitaki River in the south, and the Hakataramea Valley to the west. The district has very fertile soils which produces lush paddocks of grass and rolling hills is a productive agricultural area with a mix of pastoral, cropping, dairy farming, fruit and vegetable growing.

Waimate has some very fine parks, Knottingley Park is 36.7 hectares, the planting of the park began in 1874, over 3000 trees large, small, evergreen, deciduous, well known and lesser known have been planted, the first Oak tree (which still stands) was planted in 1878. Centrewood Park with its panoramic views, is on Mt John, the hill which overlooks Waimate and has the 20 metre White Horse silhouette, made of concrete, which commemorates the many draught horses which helped develop New Zealand’s farms.

Waimate, also known as the “Centre of the South" is a small farming community famous for its large Wallaby population. Wallabies, a smaller version of the Kangaroo, were introduced to the area in the late 1880s, these Australian marsupials now number in their hundreds of thousands and can be seen in parks and reserves all around the town. Considered a pest, year-round wallaby hunting is popular.

Waimate is very close to the Southern Alps and many of New Zealand’s tourist 'hotspots'. It is not far to travel if you like skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, kayaking, extreme sports, fishing, tramping, climbing, golfing or just the social activities that these all come with. Crusaders or Highlanders Super 14 Rugby matches can be seen live within 2 hours travel of Waimate.

Waimate's accommodation has a wonderful experience to offer all travellers, from heritage homes to modern hotels and motels, homely farmstays and a camping ground. You will enjoy quality hospitality on any budget.