Waimate
| Waimate | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Waimate
|
|
| Coordinates: 44°44′02″S 171°02′47″E / 44.7340°S 171.0465°ECoordinates: 44°44′02″S 171°02′47″E / 44.7340°S 171.0465°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Island | South Island |
| District | Waimate District |
| Regional Council | Canterbury Regional Council |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Craig Rowley |
| Population (2006 census) | |
| • Urban area | 2,835 |
| Postcode(s) | 7924 |
| Area code(s) | 03 |
| Website | www |
Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main North/South road. Waimate is 45.7 km south of Timaru, Canterbury's second city, and 20 km north of the Waitaki River, which forms the border between Canterbury and the Otago province to the south.
The population of the Waimate District was recorded in the 2006 census as 7,206 people. The district's area of 3,582.19 square kilometres forms the southern section of the agriculturally rich Canterbury Plains.
Waimate is well known for its population of Bennett's wallabies. These marsupials were introduced from Australia and now live wild in the countryside surrounding the town. It is also recognised for the White Horse Monument which is a silhouette of a white horse that can be seen on the hills behind the town. It commemorates the Clydesdale horses that helped breaking in the land in earlier days. Visitors to the monument's lookout are rewarded with panoramic views of the town and the district's green plains out towards the pacific ocean.
From 1877 until 1966, Waimate was served by the Waimate Branch, a branch line railway that connected with the Main South Line some seven kilometres east in Studholme. For roughly seventy years ending in 1953, the line ran beyond Waimate to Waihao Downs. When the branch line was closed on 31 March 1966, Waimate became the first major town in New Zealand to lose its railway connection.
The Waimate District is bounded by the Waitaki River in the south, the Pareora River in the north and the Hakataramea Valley to the west. The district is a very productive agricultural area with a mix of pastoral, cropping, dairy farming, fruit and vegetable growing.
The Waihao River, which starts in the Hunter Hills catchment area runs eastwards on the southern side of the Waimate township joining with the Waimate Creek. They both eventually end up discharging very close to the sea into the Wainono Dead Arm, which then flows into the Wainono Lagoon near Studholme.
...
Wikipedia