Flowers to Timaru Hospital
Timaru Hospital, on Queen Street in Parkside, is the public hospital for South Canterbury (Aoraki). If you want to send flowers to someone staying there, the hospital's page gives a short, practical answer: flowers come up to patients as soon as they are received.
Order by 2 pm on weekdays (11 am Saturdays) for same-day delivery in many areas
- Ward rules quoted from the hospital
- Name and ward on the card
- Local florists deliver the flowers
Flowers are delivered to patients as they arrive.
“Mail, parcels and flowers: Inward mail is delivered twice daily on weekdays. Flowers and parcels are delivered as they arrive.”
How flowers reach the ward
Under the heading "Mail, parcels and flowers", Health NZ's page says: "Inward mail is delivered twice daily on weekdays. Flowers and parcels are delivered as they arrive."
So unlike letters, flowers do not wait for a mail round. Once a florist drops them at the hospital, staff pass them on. No wards are listed as flower-free.
Because flowers are passed on as they arrive, you do not need to time the delivery around visiting hours. That is especially handy if you are ordering from overseas or another part of the country and cannot be sure when the florist will reach the hospital.
Getting the details right
- Use the patient's full name, exactly as the hospital will know them.
- Add the ward name if you know it.
- Give the street address: Timaru Hospital, Queen Street, Parkside, Timaru 7910.
If you are not sure which ward the person is on, phone the hospital on 03 687 2100.
Visiting hours at Timaru Hospital
Timaru Hospital visiting hours are 2pm to 8pm, 7 days a week, and each patient is permitted 2 visitors at a time. If you are taking flowers in yourself, the afternoon is a good time to arrive and ask the nurses where to put them.
A few sensible precautions
Even where flowers are welcome, someone in a high-care area may not be able to have them, so if the patient is very unwell, check with the ward. In shared rooms, a lightly scented arrangement is kinder to the other patients. A container arrangement saves staff hunting for a vase.
For deliveries to homes in the town see flower delivery in Timaru, and for nearby towns such as Temuka and Geraldine, see their own pages. Rural addresses with an RD number can take longer.
When the hospital is quiet
Health NZ explains the daily rhythm of visiting: mornings are kept for treatments, and 12pm to 2pm is a quiet rest time. Visiting runs from 2pm to 8pm. Special arrangements for visiting children, or for seriously or terminally ill patients, can be made by speaking with the charge nurse.
Parking, café and support
Parking for up to 120 minutes is available along Queen Street and near the main entrance, including six disability spaces. Further lots off Edward Street and High Street are unsupervised, and vehicles are left at the owner's risk.
- The café is open 7:30am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm at weekends; vending machines are in the main foyer.
- Free Wi-Fi is available throughout.
- A chapel is open 24 hours and a chaplain is on call.
- The Hato Hone St John Health Shuttle can be booked on 0800 103 046.
The hospital's advocacy service can be reached on 03 687 2291.
Address for the order
- Queen Street, Parkside, Timaru, 7910
- Timaru
- Phone 03 687 2100
Write the patient’s full name and ward on the card and the order. Rules checked 6 November 2026; hospitals change their rules, so call the ward if you are unsure.
Get-well flowers that suit a ward
Compact arrangements are easier for nurses and small bedside tables.
Order by 2 pm on weekdays (11 am Saturdays) for same-day delivery in many areas
