Timaru is located on State Highway One (SH1), the main road route down the eastern coast of the South Island.
There are regular coach and minibus services to Queenstown and the Mackenzie Country, leaving from outside the Visitor Information Centre, which provides booking facilities and other travel services.
Domestic passenger rail services have been discontinued, but freight still uses the east coast line on a daily basis. Timaru Airport is located to the north of the city. It is equipped to handle light aircraft and short haul domestic flights, with regular services to Wellington.
A number of bus services connect Timaru's suburbs to the town centre.
Shopping
Retailing is concentrated around the Stafford Street area. In addition there are a number of local shopping malls distributed around the town, with extensive parking facilities.
Timaru has a branch of Ballantynes is a large department store in the city centre.
Media
The Timaru Herald is the local daily newspaper for the district and has been published since the mid nineteenth century. Papers are printed in Timaru and then distributed throughout the Otago and South Canterbury region.
Timaru has a local FM radio station.
Future developments
Further reading
James Bellich, Russell Brown, and Martin Robinson (2004) New Zealand, Lonely Planet Series
Darroch Donald (2003) New Zealand, 2nd Edition, Footprint Guide Series.
Laura Harper, Tony Mudd and Paul Whitfield (2000) The Rough Guide to New Zealand, Rough Guide Series
