New Zealand - Waimate - Waimate High School - 5R - 1986 Do you have more information about the school or the people in this photo? Please use the comment section below to share. To search for other photos from this school, please type the schools name in to our search engine. Waimate - A town in Canterbury - Situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. - From 1877 until 1966, Waimate was served by the Waimate Branch - For roughly seventy years ending in 1953, the line ran beyond Waimate to Waihao Downs. - When the branch line was closed on 31 March 1966, Waimate became the first major town in New Zealand to lose its railway connection.