We were very late leaving Timaru as we had to wait for Judy’s bike to be repaired, so the next leg of our journey had to be a short one. We had intended to head down to Oamaru, but we detoured a little to take a look at Waimate.
Bruce stated that there were some places that were new and made to look old, there are the renovated and beautiful old places, and then there are the places that are just plain old! That pretty much describes Waimate for the most part.
The exception was the Basilica pictured above. It was dated 1909 but has been renovated since then and is a beautiful building, Inside the stained glass windows were intricate and just awesome. The ceilings were very detailed and the woodwork smelled like it had recently been oiled.
Down the road was an old cinema building that had clearly seen better days and did not look like it was being used by anyone now. However, it looks like it might have been a magnificent building in its time.
Nearer to the NZMZA park was an old flour mill that is also decommissioned but is being used as a fertiliser depot.
Waimate was the home of the first female practicing GP in NZ, Dr Margaret Cruikshank, and they have erected a statue in the park in her honour. She was New Zealand’s second female qualified doctor on May 3rd, 1897, but chose to remain in the area she was raised. The story goes that during the great flu epidemic she would not only treat the families that became ill (she would visit them in their homes as there were quarantine restrictions), she would also milk the cow to be able to provide them sustenance. Unfortunately she also sucumbed to the flu and died in 1918.
The NZMCA camp at Waimate is the best camp to date that we have stayed in. It is a delightful place and we had a peaceful night there. However, Waimate is a small place, somewhat run down and not particularly dog friendly.
Away From Home NZ 