50km south of Timaru is Waimate, the commercial center of a large agricultural area. On land that in the 19th C was covered with totara forests grain is now grown, as well as flower bulbs and berry fruits.
The first farmhouse, the Cuddy, was built by the Studholme brothers in 1854 of wood from a single totara tree. A sheep-shearing shed and a wool shed were built at the same time. The buildings, still in private ownership, are protected as national monuments.
Tips: Group tours with a minimum of four people are available.
In Seddon Square, the well looked-after village square, there are monuments to Michael Studholme, the Maori chief Huruhuru and Dr Margaret Cruickshank, New Zealand's first woman doctor, who cared for the town's people until 1916.
St Augustine's Church (Anglican) was built in 1872 of rough-sawn wood, with a striking little tower over the crossing. The interior bears witness to the prominent position of the Studholme family in the local community.
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