Driving SH1 from Winchester to Temuka | Canterbury | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: Canterbury Region

Tags: canterbury, driving, new zealand, temuka, winchester

Added: 2 years ago

Driving SH1 from Winchester to Temuka, in the Canterbury region on the East Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Winchester is a small rural settlement at the junction of State Highway 1 and the Inland Scenic Route 72 in South Canterbury. Although local accommodation is limited, this area is famed for rainbow and brown trout fishing; it also has more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the country. If you decide to stay in or near Winchester, local attractions include Maori rock art, Temuka's pottery industry and white water rafting on the Rangitata River. There are good walks and picnic spots nearby at Peel Forest and Kakahu Forest.

Temuka is a busy little town located in the heart of a rich sheep and dairy farming region, about 15 kilometres north of Timaru. Steeped in history, the small town was once home to Richard Pearse - the man who raced the Wright Brothers to become the first man to fly. In 1902 Pearse flew his home-built machine for a short distance before landing ungracefully on a gorse hedge. While in Temuka you can visit the Richard Pearse memorial.

Popular local attractions include the pottery shop (Temuka is a centre for stoneware production) and a fruit winery. Fishing is big here. The main target is quinnat salmon (November to April). A favourite fishing spot is where the Rangitata and Opihi Rivers meet the ocean.