Timaru in south Canterbury, New Zealand, is a territorial authority district of about 30,000 people in and around the former Timaru City. It is located 160 kilometres south of Christchurch and 200 kilometres north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast.

Popular beach area Caroline Bay is located north of the substantial port facilities. The northern industrial suburb of Washdyke is located at a major road junction with State Highway 8, the main routh into the Mackenzie Basin.

Racehorse Phar Lap was born just to the north of Washdyke, and pioneer aviator Richard Pearse lived at Waitohi, 15 kilometres north of Timaru.

Timaru crater on Mars is named after the city.

The name 'Timaru' comes from Maori 'Te Maru', meaning a 'place of shelter'. Maori canoes used it as a place to rest on long journeys up and down the eastern coastline for many years. It was settled as a whaling station around 1838. Few lived there untill 1859 when the ship Strathallan arrived from England, carrying 120 immigrants. Two towns were settled, Government Town and Rhodestown, until they combined in 1868. Work was started on the port in 1877, which eventually caused sand washed south down the coast to build up against the northern mole. This was the start of caroline bay, which is still growing today.