Picturesque Oamaru with its delightful Victorian Precinct
Sunday 2 February
We cruised out of sunny Port Chalmers around 7.45am and by 2.30pm we had arrived in Oamaru. After spying the 100-year-old vintage stream locomotive B10 going along the tracks near the Bay we knew we were going to be in for a really fun afternoon. We came in to very-aptly-named Friendly Bay and had a welcome party of about 10 people at the end of Holmes Wharf watching us. Not a minute to waste, we anchored and were off in the dinghy to explore. With a population of about 14,500, Oamaru has been built between the rolling hills of limestone and the short stretch of flat land leading out to the South Pacific. The limestone rock is used for the construction of local Oamaru stone which is sometimes called Whitestone.
We walked along Holmes Wharf and the first thing we came across was King George Park with its delightful kids’ playground with really unique rides, including a penny farthing swing, a pirate ship, a hamster wheel and a giant elephant and flying fox, all in Steampunk Style, of which we were to see quite a bit more around the town. Steampunk is a “subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery” – got that?! The macrocarpa tree trunks in the park are all exquisitely carved with native birds, lizards, seals, penguins and dolphins by Pita Lagan who had been participating in the Oamaru Stone Symposium carving competition last year and was then approached by the Mayor to make use of the trunks and leave future generations with an artistic legacy. Even the toilets in the park were beautiful painted in a sea theme.
We were so looking forward to exploring this town with its historic Victorian precinct and my word we were not disappointed. The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust owns sixteen commercial buildings in Harbour and Tyne Steets (and by the way, many of the streets here are named after English rivers) which is known as the Historic Precinct, and each of the buildings, which were built between the 1860’s and 1880’s in the Victorian period, has its own story, character and charm. All are built of locally quarried limestone which is easily carved and lent itself perfectly to the creation of the elaborate Neo Classical style, favoured by Thomas Forrester, Oamaru’s busiest architect of the time. Fortunately, there are stone masons living in Oamaru today who have the skills to restore these buildings to their former grandeur and the restoration of the buildings and tenants with unique businesses, artisans and crafts people, are part of the on-going commitment of the Trust in preserving this precinct. Prepare to be bombarded by photographs!!!!
So many delightful buildings and businesses lined Tyne Street – it was an absolute joy to be amongst them…Steampunk Central with its beautiful array of Victorian clothes, a Victorian living room complete with a laid dining table, the Grainstore Gallery with an unbelievable collection of arts and crafts, the life’s work of the owner who was proudly sitting amongst it all, Bugger yr Robot with an old Triumph Herald parked outside and the owner busy in his workshop inside creating all sorts of robot figures and objects out of tin, wonderful eclectic gift shops, a penny farthing randomly in the street which of course I had to try out – no mean feat when you are height disadvantaged like me - Steampunk HQ with it’s array of contraptions and sculptures and the coin-operated railway engine outside which has been modified with lights, engine and train whistle noises and fire breathing out of its chimney. What an absolute blast we had walking around in the sunshine admiring all these quaint little shops.
We had a walk up to Tees Street and admired the vibrant coloured dahlias in Jones Park with the background of the Australian Provident Society and the Bank of New Zealand and St Lukes Church on two of the corners and then into the wide boulevard of Thames Street (yep, the river of my hometown!) – past the Opera House, the Museum and the Courthouse – all these buildings look absolutely stunning and it was pure joy being able to experience this wonderful little place.
Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner…..don’t mind if I do, and where better to enjoy this gastronomic delight, but the iconic, historic Criterion Hotel – and it didn’t disappoint. A huge oval plateful of beef each with roast spuds and four vegetables, whilst sitting up in the old wooden bar enjoying all the comings and goings. Back out into the evening sunshine to savour the last of the day in this fabulous town. What a great stop on our journey northwards.
Monday 3 February
Up and away early to prepare for a 7.45am departure as we have a long sail to Akaroa today and we want to arrive in daylight. OK, so we had about 10 people on Holmes Wharf welcoming us when we arrived, but we had a bigger crowd saying goodbye to us on Sumpter Wharf – hundreds and hundreds of Blue Penguins, all standing to attention as we sailed past! What a fabulous end to our delightful visit here!
