Wallabies were introduced to Waimate from Australia in the 1870s and are quite at home in the Hunter Hills above the town. We haven’t seen any but no doubt like the opossum which also hails from Australia, they are breeding voraciously and are quite at home here in New Zealand. Apart from the wallabies, Waimate is well known for the Edwardian buildings which line the main street. The old Waimate Post Office, built in 1910, is now the Information Centre. Prime Minister Norman Kirk was born here in 1923, and attended the local primary school. He died in office and is buried in the local cemetery.
The beautiful St Augustine's Anglican Church was dedicated on Christmas Day in 1872. This church was built of locally milled matai and totara on land donated by settler Michael Studholme. The lantern tower was added in 1883, and the stand alone bell tower was added in front of the church in 1903. The beautiful stained glass window features Sir Galahad’s vision of the Holy Grail.
The different style of St Patricks Catholic Church, built in 1909, is just as imposing. The bell tower contains three bells cast in Belgium, and the church organ was made by renowned organ builder Arthur Hobday.
The town was invaded by a whole lot of bikies over the weekend, here for their annual March Madness rally held at the Showgrounds. We could hear the music blaring out on Saturday night during their festivities. On Sunday morning a traffic officer parked on the street right outside our camp, only one of several road blocks we imagine. One by one he stopped the bikers as they drove past on their way home, checking on registrations and giving them a breathalyser check.
Meanwhile, Dot and I were taking advantage of the warm sunny weather to keep the washing up to date. With no facilities at this camp, it was hands down in a bucket of water, while Muffy watched on. Still, it gets the job done, doesn’t it.
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