Oamaru

We don’t ‘do’ cities very often, but we thought it might be a great opportunity to stay and play awhile in Oamaru.  We have both visited Oamaru in times past, but we felt that we haven’t really given it the justice it deserves.

Where is Oamaru

We had been staying at the NZMCA Park in Ranfurly, Central Otago so it wasn’t a long travel day for us to get to Oamaru (just the way we like it!).

Travel time from Ranfurly is approximately 1.45hrs (138km).  Oamaru is located 120km north of Dunedin city.

Where We Stayed

We headed for the Oamaru A&P Showgrounds (North Otago A&P Association NZMCA#8252), where they offer Self Contained campers to stay for $6 per night per vehicle.

There is a dump station available for cassette toilets only, toilets (not flash but adequate if you have to!) and rubbish disposal.  Also available is a ‘pay to use’ washing machine.

Lots of Room!

There is a large, flat parking area and if everyone parks at a right angle along the boundary, then there is plenty of room.  NB: ensure you do not park on the playing fields.

We had a good dumping of rain while we were staying there and although there were some sections of surface water, no one had any issues on entry or exiting the grounds.

If you are fit and able, then it is a flat walk into the city or a very easy and quick cycle ride (approximately 3km).

Some Interesting Facts About Oamaru

• the town was laid out in 1858 by Otago’s surveyor John Turnbull Thomson, who named the streets after British rivers
• a harbour was developed and export trade in wool and grain began in the 1860s
• Oamaru Harbour closed to shipping in 1974
• a disastrous storm of 1868 forced Oamaru to invest in the construction of expensive concrete breakwaters and new larger wharves
• by the mid-1880s the town centre was home to an impressive array of buildings made from locally quarried limestone (known as Oamaru Stone)
• Oamaru contains over 70 buildings registered as Category 1 or 2 Historic Places in Heritage NZ register
• Oamaru went ‘dry’ in 1906 and stayed that way until 1960 – the last South Island district to resume alcohol sales 
• the frozen-meat industry has its historical origins in NZ just south of the town at Totara (more on this later)
• a colony of little blue penguins lives in a disused quarry on the harbour not far from the historic precinct
• Oamaru is the endpoint of the Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail from Aoraki/Mt Cook, constructed started in 2010 
• the city became the world’s unlikely capital of steampunk, drawing enthusiasts from around the globe (more on this later)
• Oamaru made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gathering of steampunks in the world

What We Did

Victorian Precinct

The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust was established as a charitable trust back in the late 1980s and worked tirelessly to transform Oamaru’s Harbour and Tyne Streets.  This now attractive jewel in the crown had certainly seen time and ‘progress’ take its toll before the stunning facelift we see today.

This area is now known as Oamaru’s Victorian Precinct.  It was the original commercial and business district of Oamaru, the central point for trades in and out of the Port of Oamaru.  The buildings were largely grain and seed warehouses which serviced the rich and prosperous agricultural sector in the surrounding districts.

Initially, 8 buildings were purchased.  Today, the Trust owns 16 Victorian buildings in the Victorian Precinct and they were all built during the period 1860-1880.

A Complete Victorian Streetscape

Thanks to the Trust, we could spend a good few hours wandering the Victorian Precinct with its mix of eclectic collections, displays, galleries, artisans, craftspeople and delicious places to eat.

The original buildings, made from the local limestone, are a testament to Oamaru’s boom era.  Luckily, there are craftsmen in Oamaru today who have the skills to restore the buildings to their former glory.

Explore by Foot or Bike

This area can easily be explored by foot, or like us, by bike.  The shops are so individually unique and deserve some time to fossick around in.  I loved the displays of artistry that transforms in front of your eyes as the carvers work their magic with lumps of limestone.  Unfortunately, no photography allowed, so it is something you need to see for yourselves.

A number of events take place in the Victorian Precinct with a highlight being the Victorian Fete, the grand finale to the annual Victorian Heritage Celebrations. 

Steampunk HQ

Located in the Victorian Precinct, you’ll find Steampunk HQ.  It has been set up inside an 1880s grain elevator building and is the perfect setting for a unique museum of art, sound and light, showcasing what they refer to as ‘an altered universe’.

What is Steampunk?

It took me a while to wrap my head around what the whole Steampunk craze is all about.  

The dictionary describes it in the following terms:

“a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.  Steampunk has its own fashion trend – a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction”

Steampunk HQ sets out to portray an industrial version of Steampunk.  I can best describe it as crazy, quirky and quite unique.

Its uniqueness hits you as soon as you rock up to the building, with its full-scale train engine that spits fire and billows smoke (for a small fee of $2).

We then stepped inside to a museum full of contraptions and bizarre machinery, mainly featuring copper, gears, pipes and gas cylinders.  These are often accompanied by skeletal sculptures which are uplit with flickering lights, film projection and sound. 

Some of the displays are what nightmares are made of.  Especially the display of old dental drills and equipment.  I’m sure many of us are scared for life with the memory of the sound of that drill!

A back door led us to a large yard filled with projects in various stages of being steampunked.  Some people certainly have very vivid imaginations!

We took a drive up (and later cycled) to the Oamaru Lookout Point on top of Cape Wanbrow.  It offers an excellent view of Oamaru and beyond.  There are also a few walking and cycle trails that you can access from here as well.

Tracks Galore

These walking/cycling tracks can take you anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours and varies from 2.1km to 8km.  They all link up together and include the Harbourside Walkway and South Hill Walk.  Click here for more information on the tracks available.

The Cape Wanbrow Track (part of the South Hill walkway) offered us magnificent coastal views as well as the chance to see a former gun emplacement.  I can certainly understand why they would place it where they did.  It has commanding views along the undulating coastline in both directions.

The track we cycled did have its challenging points in places.  I wouldn’t class it as ‘Easy/Grade 1’ – more like ‘Intermediate’.  There were some steep parts with tight switchbacks, so some degree of concentration was required!

Oamaru Public Gardens

After making it to the top of the lookout on our bikes, it was all downhill by road to the Oamaru Public Gardens!

When Oamaru was first surveyed way back in 1855, 34 acres were set aside as a public reserve.  The gardens opened on this site in 1876, making it one of the oldest in the country.

Mature plantings hug both sides of the Oamaru Creek which meanders along its length.  There are many areas sectioned off with themed plantings.  These include rhododendrons, azaleas, native fernery and of course, extensive plantings of NZ natives.  There is a Chinese Garden linked to a distinctive red lacquer bridge over the creek.

Standing loud and proud in the main entrance to the gardens is an impressive Italian marble (Carrara) fountain, surrounded in pristine lawn and colourful flower beds.

We leisurely cycled around the gardens on the wide and well-formed paths that wind their way around the different sections of this vast public garden.

The Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail passes through the gardens on its way to the finishing/starting point of the 300km long trail from Mt Cook to Oamaru.

Totara Estate

Located 10km south of the city of Oamaru, we passed Totara Estate.  After a bit of research, we thought that it may be worth a visit.

This historic farm (originally 15,000 acres), is the birthplace of NZ’s billion-dollar frozen meat industry.  Before the 1880s wool was the only sheep product that could be exported.

We drove down the lovely tree-lined driveway, passing the privately owned and occupied Totara Estate Homestead which is a Category II historic place (would have loved a looked through) to arrive at the first of a group of restored farm buildings.

The Restored Cookhouse

This building was the original cookhouse and has been set up to resemble what mid-1800s life was like for a farmworker.  We ordered our coffee’s and scones (although Scotty can never go past a cheese roll!) and proceeded to wander the rooms and gaze at the collections and displays.

There are tours and talks available at an extra charge that will take you around the additional Oamaru stone buildings which include stables, tack rooms, bunkhouse and slaughter shed.

History Abounds

We learnt a lot about the determination and ingenuity of those early farmers.  How they set about slaughtering the first lot of sheep (300-400 a day), railing them to Port Chalmers for freezing aboard the ship ‘Dunedin’, which first set sail for London on 15 February 1882.  The ship arrived with the cargo of frozen carcases in perfect condition.  After the next few decades, refrigeration reshaped the NZ economy, making meat and dairy products new staple exports.

It was a shame that the day was drab, wet and windy so we decided against walking the track up to the hillside memorial or the farm tour.  Something that we’ll leave on the list for next time.

Whitestone Cheese Factory

Just down the road from basecamp, we found the Whitestone Cheese Factory and shop/cafe.  Well, as I’m quite often saying ‘cheese is life’, it was a no-brainer to pay a visit!

I’m sure most of us cheese lovers have seen or heard of Whitestone Cheese.  Of course, being based in Oamaru, the name comes from the white limestone that is Oamaru stone.  

Selling Cheese Since 1987

Bob and Sue Berry who founded Whitestone Cheese were former farmers and started the business in 1987, moved into newer and larger premises in 1998 and is now a major employer in the area.

They export their cheese overseas and are the proud recipients of many awards.  They make 23 different specialist cheese, the most well-known of which is Whitestone Windsor Blue.  There is also 3 different goat’s milk cheese.

The company emphasises the regional nature of the cheese by naming its cheese varieties after local places. 

Needless to say, we did walk away with a few purchases!

You’ll find their cheese shop, cafe, and factory tours at 3 Torridge Street, Oamaru NZ

Rainbow Confectionery Seconds Shop 

Staying with the food theme, Rainbow Confectionery is another icon of Oamaru.  They have been making confectionery since 1949 and conveniently located only a kilometre down the road from basecamp.

Its bright rainbow exterior is hard to miss as you travel along the main road.

Their factory shop is full of all the delights that I’m sure many of us will remember as kids.  Walking through the door the old saying ‘happy as a kid in a lolly shop’ came to mind.  Pineapple Lumps, Baby Choc Fish, Marshmallows, Jelly Beans and a huge array of gum confectionery, just to name a few.  And yes, the seconds were cheap!

Riverstone Castle

No blog about Oamaru would be complete without mentioning the very iconic ‘Riverstone Castle’.

This majestic dwelling is constructed from 20,000 locally made concrete blocks and 150 tonnes of locally quarried Oamaru stone.

It is located 15km north of Oamaru and sits on its own island, surrounded by a lake on Dot and Neil Smith’s farm.  Ten years in the planning and construction is certainly one of a kind.  It took 3 years just to gain all the consents required for the build.

We were aware that they were not conducting the castle tours while we were in town but thought that it was worth the drive out to have a look from a distance and browse the shops and gardens located on the property.

Gardens and Shops

Dot Smith’s gift and homeware shops with Wild West frontages were interesting to wander around.  They were jammed packed with all sorts of trinkets and items for any sort of interior decor.

Their son Bevan’s award-winning restaurant Riverstone Kitchen was in full swing while we were there.  We could certainly see where all the fresh homegrown produce came from as we spotted the numerous raised Vege beds out the back.  There were also many flower gardens, orchards and aviaries.

Tours

If you are keen to go on a tour of the castle, check out their Facebook page for updated information on when it is open for viewing.  You can also purchase your tickets online at iTicket.

Once again, the weather wasn’t very conducive to wandering around the gardens or grounds.  Another one for the ‘next time list’.

Summary

There is still more on my list to visit next time we are in town.  Maybe Mother Nature might be a little more kind to us on our next visit.  We didn’t quite get to Bushy Beach Lookout the Clark’s Mill (road closed because of flooding) and the Omaru Blue Penguin Colony but there’s always the next time.