The following are some suggestions of places in the region to visit:

In recent years attempts have been made to promote local tourism and provide services for recreational visitors. The Visitor Information Centre, centrally located in the old Landing Services Building, next to the Railway Station, offers high quality advice and guidance about the South Canterbury district. The knowledgeable staff provides an efficient booking service for transport and visitor accommodation.

The South Canterbury Museum is the main museum for the region, containing exhibits relating to physical geography and the environment, fossil remains, Maori rock art, the early settlement of the district, local maritime history, scrimshaw, the E P Seally natural history collection, and information about Richard Pearce, a local inventor and his attempts at manned flight in the first years of the 20th century.

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.

Timaru is graced with a number of open spaces, public gardens and parks. The Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden at Caroline Bay Park is an attractive new feature of the Timaru Piazza development. The parkland of the Bay Area contains a mini golf course, a roller skating rink, a maze and staging for musical events. It is home to the annual Summer Carnival that takes place over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. In addition, to the south of the city centre there is the extensive Timaru Botanic Gardens, first laid out in 1864, with a notable collection of roses and native tree ferns. To the west is the well maintained Centennial Park Reserve, opened in 1940, that includes a tranquil 3.5 km walkway following the wooded valley of the Otipua Creek.

During the times of Boxing Day through to mid January the Caroline Bay Park is taken over by the Caroline Bay Carnival, which features live performances, games, and side shows.

Named Te Maru, “place of shelter”, Timaru was originally a haven for weary Maori travellers canoeing along the otherwise shelterless coastline. Briefly settled as a whaling station about 1838 by the Sydney-based Weller Brothers, Timaru’s first resident was whaler Samuel Williams.

A large part in the area’s pastoral and commercial development was played by George and Robert Rhodes, brothers born Yorkshire, England. They set up the area’s first sheep run and freeholded 50 hectares of land on which Timaru’s commercial heart is based.

Development of an artificial harbour was begun in 1877, but ships continued to be wrecked in the bay into the next decade. As moles were extended from the landing service, sand began to fill the rocky beach to the north, making it a popular summer resort. In 1876, the first stream train puffed into Timaru’s railway station.

From the beginning Timaru District has been a place of shelter with a temperate climate and soil conditions to suit all types of gardening. Protected from harsh winters and extreme summers at a latitude of around 45 degrees south, the region is an ideal locality for the successful growing of almost everything. An abundance of herbaceous plants, woodland specimens, and all varieties of alpine plants and a profusion of bulbs all thrive happy together. Even some Mediterranean, Australian and South African species flourish in the favourable environment. Roses in particular are characteristic of the area and Timaru well deserves its identification as ‘A City of Roses’. Take time to appreciate the creativity of our forefathers and the artistry of some of the district’s many garden lovers.

Main Entrance, Queen Street: Wide open spaces carefully planned for all season enjoyment. Over 30 plant collections include New Zealand’s largest collection of species roses, A Shakespeare Theme Walk, trees of the world, an historic walk, two ponds, a large conservatory and a detailed education centre displaying posters, photographs and brochures as well as comprehensive hands-on displays. Timaru is one of the few places left to nurture some natives threatened with extinction. They, along with rare and endanged species from several countries, are protected at the Timaru Gardens.

Corner Hislop and Cox Streets; 36km North West of Timaru: lush plants thrive in Geraldine largely because the inland rainfall is higher than that of the coastal areas of Canterbury. The town has built on its heritage of trees. Thoughtful early planting of specimen conifers and colourful English trees contributes largely to the distinctive beauty of the Domain which doubles as the town’s camp ground. A major feature of the Domain is the attractive rose garden and the nearby rhododendrons planted more recently to provide welcome shelter and some privacy.

Domain Avenue; 18km north of Timaru on SH1: Tree planting began in the 1800s in Temuka’s large Domain. The resulting arboretum of mature trees is diverse and colourful. Native plants and a rose garden also have a place on this land that is also the town’s golf course and home to several sports clubs.

Caroline Bay – Timaru

49 Wai-iti Road, Timaru: Lime trees planted by the original owner of this property in the early 1900s are protected by the Timaru District Council. James Grant created a spacious garden at Aigantighe before giving his old home to the city of Timaru to be used as ‘a place of rest and leisure’. Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and other reliable perennials and shrubs border the sweeping lawns. An art gallery, now acclaimed as one of the best in the country was established in 1956. It has since been extended and, as well as owning its own extensive collection, its hosts several touring exhibitions annually. While wandering in the peaceful grounds visitors may enjoy the sculpture garden which was put in place in 1990 after an International Stone Carving Symposium was held in South Canterbury.