Explore Geraldine and South Canterbury,
from Kotare BandB
Great Location on the Canterbury Inland Route
Be active in Geraldine
Walking direct from Kotare BandB you can enjoy hillside routes in native bush, in conifer forest and, within a few kilometres, beside Waihi River. It's about half an hour to walk down Pye Road to the town shops and facilities, on sealed paths, or by choices of longer routes off-road. (see adjacent town map, and there are additional routes).
If you're feeling more energetic: we can direct you to local forest and river valley mountain-bike tracks, (also Orari bike trail), bush walk opportunities, river rafting , canyon exploring and horse trekking.
Visit Peel Forest DOC Scenic Reserve walkways and nearby river gorges of Orari, Waihi, and Te Moana.
In summer, Geraldine's open-air swimming pool is open in Cox St. There is a gym available in Talbot St., and a local squash club, yoga classes at the Academy, Domain tennis courts, a croquet club, archery club, and two local golf courses. In Winter there are several ski fields within two hours' drive.
Photos on this page show: (top) a view over Geraldine town from the Barker Street pathway; View of Mt Cook - 2 hours inland from here; Riddells Plantation - seen here on a sunny winter walk; Geraldine street plan showing some of the off-road walks; Your host, Anne, at our summer Farmers Market stall; One of the Department of Conservation information boards within Talbot Forest Reserve; and a Spring view over the North Waihi riverside path. For more about Talbot Forest paths in the DOC scenic reserve use this link.
Experiences for a gentler time, at leisure
Time off in Geraldine
If you prefer a gentler visit, stroll or drive just 2km to explore Geraldine cafes, restaurants, art galleries, supermarket and specialist shops including Barkers preserves, kitchen equipment, fashion, interior design, shoe shop, florist, toyshop, fabric specialist, garden centre and award-wining Geraldine cheese-maker. View local attractions video here. There are self guided trails to explore.
Visit the historic big-screen Geraldine Cinema, music concerts at Lodge Theatre and Geraldine Academy, yoga classes, two vehicle museums, public library, ilu Day Spa, local history museum and a lace-collection. Humdinger Gin distillery in town on Talbot Street and Village Brewery beer tasting and restaurant is out of town on the Fairlie Road. Neat Places lists more cafes throughout South Canterbury. The Village Inn has a day & evening restaurant. Choice of evening take-away styles available in town includes: Indian (also dine in), Chinese, Thai, Turkish kebabs, Fish&chips and pizzas. Visit Geraldine.nz website for more links.
A stargazer? On clear nights enjoy seeing the Milky Way and planets from the deck outside your room. We have a dark sky here at Kotare, as there are no streetlights. Borrow our home telescope and star charts, to help you.
From Geraldine, easy day trips by car can reach: Peel Forest walks and GreenMan cafe, the Timaru coast at popular Caroline Bay or less-known Otipua Wetland and Jack's Point (See Timaru video), historic Oamaru, inland to Tekapo, Twizel and Aoraki-Mt Cook village via Fairlie and the Mackenzie Country, or see remote Mesopotamia on the Rangitata River.
Avoid Highway 1 traffic by using the quiet scenic inland route SH72 to Christchurch via Staveley Cafe-Store and the Rakaia Gorge bridge, with its new car park & short scenic walkway on the steep south side and on the north (Windwhistle side), a longer walking trail.
Drving to or from Geraldine, some attractions in Timaru include Caroline Bay and roadside viewing of little blue penguins; and to the north in Methven hot pools opened in 2022.
Geraldine and nearby Orari are on InterCity Coach routes, Christchurch to Queenstown or Dunedin respectively and there's a local door-to-door community bus service (with tail lift on request) for pre-booked coach travel connections.
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Kotare - explore South canterbury from here
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Warm Start for Winter Walks
Frosty scene on a June morning, but our Homestay was warm inside![]()
Lively community
Music and chat at Geraldine Farmers Market![]()
At Farmers Market
Summer Blooms![]()
At Farmers Market
Pastries sell out fast!![]()
Big Skies, Big Trees
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Adventure Opportunities
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Friendly Cafes
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Reservations
Advance booking essential, as Kotare has only one guest room, which sleeps two. (Optional tent for your kids' adventure)