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South Canterbury... a Lifestyle of Choice
About 55,000 people live in South Canterbury (approximately 42,000 in the Timaru District), bounded by the grandeur of the Southern Alps to the west, the sparkling Pacific Ocean to the east and the <a href=">Rangitata and Waitaki rivers to the north and south.
South Canterbury includes the main centre of Timaru NZ, (approximately 2 hours drive between Christchurch and Dunedin), and a number of picturesque towns and smaller rural settlements including Geraldine, Temuka, Pleasant Point, Waimate, Fairlie, Twizel and Tekapo.
South Canterbury offers a lifestyle that is the envy of many - a relaxed pace of life, easy access to amenities, good schooling, low crime rates and freedom from city stresses. Without traffic jams, less time is spent commuting which means more time for friends and family.
With a sunny temperate climate (approximately 15-25 degrees December-February, lowering to 8-14 degrees June-August) a fantastic natural environment beckons from our back door step. Perfect for all manner of sporting and recreational pursuits, the geography of South Canterbury is well known for its many variations – from the fabulous alpine "high country", to rolling hills, patchwork plains and stunning coastal scenery.
Add to that our legendary warm welcome and you'll soon understand why many visitors make the change and move here permanently!
South Cantabrian Testimonials
“South Canterbury is small enough to be safe and friendly, but big enough to have everything that’s needed. I love living in a small close-knit community – it’s so laid back, with a good climate.”
Gila from Germany.
"I think Timaru is an undiscovered gem! Its setting between the coast and the mountains is so lovely - there are just so many places in Timaru where you can see the mountains and the sea at the same time. I think there is a lot of civic pride here - people seem to have a keen sense of belonging, both to Timaru and to South Canterbury. I'm so impresssed by Timaru's local initiative - the small thriving businesses that I have come across and number of local artists and writers, and the frequent drama and musical productions. It seems that every sort of service is located right on your doorstep - anything you might need to have done is all quite possible and local. I'm impressed also with the quality of the schools - the standard of the facilities and size of the grounds you see at schools here is really only found in big private schools in other parts of the country. Overall there is an air of quiet solidity about the town and around the region - things seem well groomed, well looked after....I really enjoy that."
Jan, originally from Timaru and resident again after many years living overseas.
"We moved to Timaru in South Canterbury from the UK to live in a safe, thriving rural community in which we could raise our young family. We love living in Timaru, and have a much better lifestyle here than back in England. We really enjoy the surrounding mountains, rivers and coastline, which provide amazing opportunities for outdoor activities. Timaru has little traffic, low crime-rates and excellent schools. We found the two Timaru newcomers groups extremely helpful initially in making contacts. We feel that although the community is very close-knit, it has been easy to integrate into Timaru life, and to make new friends. There is a stronger sense of community in Timaru than in many places, and the locals do pull together in times of difficulty. We do feel at home here already, and identify ourselves now as Timaruvians."
Steve and Sue from the UK.
"I’ve lived in New Zealand 11 years now. When I first came here from Japan to study English, I went to Auckland, but I didn’t really like it. I went home to Japan again and then decided to give New Zealand another go. I chose to study English at Aoraki Polytechnic in Timaru and then I did the nanny training course there too. In Auckland I found international students seem to be separated from local people, especially those who speak little English like I did then, and after six months there, I didn’t feel at home at all. But in Timaru it’s different. Here the people are so friendly and so helpful. It’s the people I enjoy most about living here. I’m now married to a New Zealander and we have two children."
Kasumi from Japan.
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