Limestone, Steam-Punk and Penguins. Just a few things that make Oamaru a unique jewel in the South Island of New Zealand. It’s a small (population just under 14,000) but vibrant town in the Waitaki district, in the province of Otago. Oamaru is nestled between the coast of the Pacific and the rolling hills coming off the Kakanui Ranges, so it’s surrounded by beautiful scenery in all directions.
Amazing Architecture in Oamaru
The most striking thing about Oamaru, is the magnificent Victorian architecture throughout the town. Virtually every building in the town is beautiful. Magnificent examples of the Victorian period — banking chambers, the post office and the opera house being a few wonderful examples in the main street.
Wander a bit further towards the port and you will enter the “Victorian Precinct”. It feels a bit like walking into the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, albeit a more recent time period. But nonetheless, this part of town is wonderful. Full of interesting shops, galleries and workshops to poke around in, and ample cafes to get your caffeine fix.
We enjoyed a delightful morning tea in the foyer of the Opera House. After that, we went upstairs and had a peek into the opera house itself. It’s a grand building and you really get a sense of the money that washed through the town in the halcyon gold rush era days.
It’s really unexpected having grand buildings in a small town like this. If you love architecture, you will love walking around Oamaru.
Oamaru Stone
The beautiful, soft, white Limestone from Oamaru is so well known, that it is coined Oamaru Stone and sometimes called “Whitestone”. The entire town is built from it, and it is still a popular building material for some of the more expensive homes being built around New Zealand. Oamaru stone is relatively soft after being quarried, so can easily be worked into ornate patterns and designs, on display not just in Oamaru, but also in many great buildings of NZ. Oamaru stone plays lovingly with the sun throughout the day, displaying a range of gorgeous hues. The stone is mined at Weston. A small town around 5km inland from Oamaru. That little town is certainly responsible for the uniqueness of Oamaru.
Blue Penguins of Oamaru
Oamaru is also home to a colony of Blue Penguins. These penguins also go by the names of Little Penguin and Fairy Penguin. They are only about 1 foot tall and weigh about 1.5kg. They are incredibly cute to watch, as they pop out of the dark, cold ocean after dusk, on completion of a days fishing. Bringing their catch home to feed their brood. They waddle up the beach and rocks with their trademark clumsiness to the delight of those watching. People love rooting for the underdog, and watching these little guys battle their way back to their burrows, that’s exactly what you end up doing. They are cute, but so tough at the same time! Watching the nightly parade is a very good reason to at least stay one night in Oamaru.
Steampunk HQ
I tried to explain steampunk to my partner Kess and failed miserably! It’s an eclectic mix of science fiction, tech, punk, fashion and history with goth overtones. Inspired by steam driven technology of the past. Retro-futuristic is a term that’s used. Think HG Wells colliding with Queen Victoria. Regardless of how you describe it, Oamaru has managed to become the home of steampunk in New Zealand. Starting in 2009 with a small exhibition, the town surprisingly embraced steampunk and it has now morphed into an annual festival attracting thousands. The best way to understand Steampunk is to see it. And you can do that at Steampunk HQ. Who would’ve thought a farming town would be home to so many closet steampunkers!
Other Stuff?
In NZ, the best things to do usually involve the outdoors, and Oamaru is no exception. So activities such as hiking, mountain biking, fishing or beach walks are a good thing to do. You can check out Janet Frame’s house — renowned author and subject of the movie An Angel at my Table. Her story is really quite incredible. There is a Farmer’s market every Sunday. The Whitestone Cheese Factory also calls Oamaru home, so check it out for a tour and some very nice cheese. And keep an eye on the Opera House for concerts and shows that come up.
Getting There
Oamaru is located 112km north of Dunedin. The drive takes around 1h 30m and is very scenic all the way. It’s around 250km south of Christchurch and takes 3 hours to 3h 30m to drive. The driving is very scenic between Timaru and Oamaru, but between Timaru and Christchurch the drive is probably one of the more boring drives in NZ, particularly between Christchurch and Ashburton.
Do yourself a favour and stay at least one night in Oamaru. If you just stop on the way through, you are only scratching the surface and you will miss out on a lot that this town offers. Better still, make a dedicated long weekend trip to Oamaru so you can take your time and enjoy it’s many delights.