What pretty sights are there to stop for between Timaru and Christchurch, New Zealand?

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Driver T

Hi,
I haven't fully explored this area myself yet, but here are some suggestions that I know of.
From CH head out through Halswell to Springston South and Selwyn Huts. great fat lamb and orchard country.
Then you'll need to get back to SH1 at Rakaia to cross the river.
At Ashburton there's a great park and garden and train museum; after Ashburton take Highway 79 turning right, right after the Rangitata River.
This takes you to geraldine (Sorry, the capital g on the keyboard has just this minute gone on strike) where there is a very good display of vintage cars, the main retail shop for Barkers fruit wines, drinks and berry fruit, a shop with the world's largest ever knitted jersey stretched out over an entire wall, and in the back of this shop is something surprising and hidden.
It is a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in actual size done with millions of bits of steel each the size of quarter of an aspirin tablet. They are a by-product of the cotton milling industry and every one is put in place individually and by hand. Quaint little town with fully utilised shops, a good public garden, great cinema, I think you'll love it.
Hiway 72 takes you from geraldine back to SH 1 at Winchester.
At Temuka there is a sign pointing to the west that says 'Richard Pearce Memorial'. This too is worth looking at. It commemorates the first ever flights in a aeroplane. (forget about the Wright Brothers, Pearce flew up to a year before them although the first authenticated date gives him only an 8 month advantage.)
Then at Timaru there are also great gardens.
I think it is at Rangitata that there is a wonderful little kitchen/dining room, the size of a small house, and right alongside the main highway. It's on your right heading south.

lynn

Why not take the back road? its a lot more scenic and interesting and only takes a little more time. You turn right onto Yaldhurst Road after leaving the airport and head towards the Rakaia Gorge by turning onto the West Coast Road (not the "OLD West Coast Rd"). Now, here's where it gets tricky (but oh so worth it for the view) Pull up a google map of the area and if you follow the West Coast Road until it becomes Windwhistle Road you will see a sharp corner where it turns into Rakaia Gorge Road? ok, at this corner you are on top of a hill and there is a small gravel road that turns off here on your left, right before you start to go down the hill. Follow this track (perhaps 20 meters) and it opens out onto one of the best views I have ever seen. From here you can continue on that road through Geraldine (nice place to stop for a bite) before it brings you back out on the main highway about 20mins north of Timaru.
Although there are not a lot of places to stop to eat along the way, I have always found the Timaru Bay Hill area to be a great place to have food with a fantastic view of the Bay and the sea.
Good luck and I hope your parents have a great time :)

zee_prime

I've made the trip down SH1 between Timaru and Chch. many times and nearly died of boredom. It's just a straight stretch of road across the Canterbury plains. There aren't any interesting restaurants. The good news is that it only takes 3 hours. Between Oamaru and Dunedin, you could turn off SH1 just south of Oamaru and take the coast road through the market gardening area of Kakanui, returning to SH1 about 20 km further south. Then, about 30 km N of Dunedin, on the site of the old Cherry Farm asylum, there's Evansdale Cheeses, which sell some excellent NZ cheeses. A trip to Aramoana is interesting too.

mareeclara

Between chch and Timaru there is not a huge amount...the road is pretty flat and straight.

Oamaru is possibly a good place to see....there is an old part of town with Victorian buildings that is nice ( I used to live there)...there are a couple or peguin colonies as well ( but you have to go at dusk or dawn). There are the little blue penguin (and i think there is a yellow eyed one from memory). About 20mins south of Oamaru is Moeraki, which is pretty cool....they are round boulders ( called the Moeraki boulders) on the beach and look pretty cool.
There is apparently a fantastic resterraunt at Moerkai ( the "village") Its called something like Kayes' place, BUT I hear its booked out a lot as its so popular ( but its officially never opened or something) I know Gwyneth Paltrow and Rick Stein ( chef) have eaten there among others. I can't think of any major famous resteraunts off the top of my head.
Short walks......apart from Moeraki...hmmmmm not a lot, maybe more off the beaten track and away from the highway a bit...

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