A Lifestyle Dream in South Canterbury
Lying in the folds of the Southern Alps the Geraldine district is a gem. Offering a village atmosphere, friendly and welcoming locals, and access to great jobs, schools and amenities. It is a fabulous place to bring up children, escape the hustle of city life for a better lifestyle or relax into retirement.
Video Credit: Venture Timaru Tourism
A Beautiful Place to Call Home
Nestled beneath the towering Southern Alps, Geraldine is a must visit destination packed with activities and adventures for the whole family.
Walk, bike, eat, drink, shop, climb, play, work, stay.
Enjoy the unique country village atmosphere and admire the grandeur of the many historical buildings and museums.
Take time to stroll the beautiful totara forests and walkways, many of them within walking distance of the township. The domain, with its lovely, extensive rose gardens is the ideal place to bring out a picnic. The picturesque villages of Woodbury, Peel Forest and Orari are just a short drive (or bike ride) from Geraldine.
Peel Forest is a very precious and extensive podocarp forest with abundant bird life and with many reminders of the region’s early European pioneers. Follow the road beside the Rangitata River (a world class white water rafting and salmon fishing river, which also provides vital irrigation to surrounding districts) into the Upper Rangitata River Valley for some of the most spectacular alpine and high country scenery in New Zealand.
If you are considering a move to Geraldine you’ll find plenty of useful information here.
Our Community
A Small Town with a Big Heart
If there’s one thing we all agree on in Geraldine it’s that we’re proud of our town and we welcome all comers – whether they’re just passing through or call the place home.
Geraldine is home to some fantastic social enterprises that celebrate our town and its community.
One wonderful innovation is the Pop-Up Community Library Boxes dotted around Geraldine. Painted bright yellow and filled with all manner of titles people are welcome to help themselves to a book whenever they like says creator Cyril Guthrie.
Geraldine has a proud tradition of volunteering harking back to our pioneer days and it is one of the reasons the district is blessed with such excellent facilities and so many clubs and groups. Getting involved is one way of connecting with the community and growing your social circle while having fun and doing something worthwhile.
The Geraldine Lions Club is a community institution in Geraldine and one of the many groups doing great works while having fun. If you are interested in volunteering check out the long list of organisations, clubs and groups in Geraldine and get in touch.
Work/Life Balance
With some major employers in the district we score highly for relocation either from overseas or domestically for a life style choice. We have some great employment opportunities across diverse industries to appeal to a large and varied audience.
Coupled with great schooling and fantastic sports, outdoors activities, cultural, arts and interests groups, Geraldine certainly ticks a lot of boxes.
The district boosts a thriving dairy industry that has openings for all skill levels, drivers, milkers, herdsman and a Fonterra factory complex with numerous manufacturing and production roles in food specialist companies. Retail jobs that are both seasonal and permanent, part time and full time, and a catering industry looking for more talent.
Your quality of life is bound to improve with a short commute to and from work, no traffic lights or roundabouts to contend with and when the only other ‘person’ you may see on your way to work is a sheep!
Find out more about working in South Canterbury through Venture Timaru and contact the Geraldine Community Resource Centre to find out about job vacancies.
Our Schools
A great place to bring up the kids
From early childhood education to Year 13, Geraldine can cater for your child throughout their school life.
The town itself has a secondary school (incorporating the intermediate years), primary school and several early childhood providers, and the outlying communities of Woodbury, Peel Forest-Carew and Winchester all boast primary schools as well.
Find out more here.
For school age children there are numerous facilities in the town, including playgrounds, skate park, swimming pool and playing fields. Children are spoilt for choice with sporting, arts, dance and musical programmes on offer around the area.
Find out more about our schools and discover all the clubs and activities your children can do when you check out our comprehensive list of clubs and groups in Geraldine.
Business Community
A great place to do business
With a whole host of companies of all sizes situated in the town, Geraldine has a very active business community. At the heart of this, Geraldine.nz (formerly Go Geraldine) works towards the overall success of our town.
Geraldine.nz aims to develop and promote the Geraldine district, including the rural communities, as a vibrant place in which to live, work, play and stay. This includes all business, cultural, social, recreational, amenities and attractions available in the Geraldine District and surrounding area.
Geraldine.nz also assists in establishing, building and encouraging a strong and healthy business environment in the wider Geraldine district, where locals support locals for the common good.
In the wider region businesses can obtain support from the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and local economic development agency Venture Timaru.
