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New Zealand > Otago > Oamaru
The
Whitestone city
 Oamaru is a charming sea side town town steeped in history in one of the South Islands prime vegetable
growing regions.
In Victorian
times, it was a booming town with a busy port and
rich agricultural land surrounding it. The
wealth which flowed into the town allowed architects
of the time to design magnificent colonial style
buildings with arched windows, soaring Greek columns
and intricate facades. This magnificent architecture
has been well-preserved, so walking through the
historic area of Oamaru is like stepping back in
time.
Most of these building are constructed
from Oamaru stone, a type of limestone which is
abundant in the area. Oamaru stone is an
exceptionally pure kind of limestone. Its
purity means that it is easily sawn to any shape and
that it retains a smooth texture and pale cream
colour. It is very popular for both building
and for sculpting into art works and you can take a
tour to see how the stone is quarried.
Each Sunday throughout the year and on
Saturdays during summer, the Tyne Street Market
happens. This is a real old-fashioned Victorian style
market set in the Historic area of Oamaru. A
wide range of good are sold ranging from traditional,
such as jerseys hand-knitted from home-spun wool
through to unique, such as painted-glass window
hangings.
Also worth looking at is Slightly Foxed,
the second hand bookshop next door to the
market. Here you’ll find a wide range of
books, from recent releases to antiques, and a
kiddy-sized play room reached through a kiddy-sized
door. Every effort has been made to remain true
to the shop’s historic surroundings: the
place is heated by a roaring open fire and if you
make a purchase instead of popping it in a plastic
bag, they’ll wrap it in brown paper and tie it
up with string.
Oamaru’s
most famous former resident is the author Janet
Frame. She is most noted for her
autobiographical series – To the Is-Land,
An Angel at My Table and The Envoy from
Mirror City, which remain some of the most
significant contributions to New Zealand’s
literature. They were made into a major film
entitled An Angel at my Table in 1990.
The information centre provides a pamphlet which
gives directions for the “Janet Frame
Trail”, which is a walking tour of some of the
places Frame mentions in her early novels. In
her fictional works, Frame made a token effort to
disguise the fact that she is describing a real town
by naming it Waimaru instead of Oamaru.
However, many of the features she writes about are
easily recognisable
Oamaru is also one of the few easily
accessible places where you can see blue penguins in
their natural habitat. The colony is just five
minutes drive from the centre of town. Blue
penguins spend much of their day at sea, but at dusk
they return to their nests. The best time to
see them is at 9:00pm-9:30pm during the month of
December, when up to 150 penguins will be returning
to their nests. However, at dusk during any
time of the year, you’ll spot some penguins.
Given the Oamaru’s architecture,
it’s unsurprising that much of the accommodation
you’ll find in the area is unique, sumptuous and
elegant. Victorian homesteads are popular
accommodation options in Oamaru. If this sounds
like it may be a little out of your budget,
don’t worry there are a wide range of other
choices on offer ranging from camping grounds to
modern motels.
The information centre provides
pamphlets detailing several other sight-seeing walks
to include the spectacular buildings in the town, and
the look-out for a panoramic view of the area.
Accommodation is available at the
Quality
Hotel Brydone.
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