Ōamaru

We arrived in Ōamaru via the coast road from Dunedin after our previous nights stay. We decided to spend a night in town, which enabled us to do some washing and plan the next section of our journey, when we will again be off-roading and picking up the Alps-to-Ocean (A2O) Great Ride, for about 160Km (about half of the full route, all being well) and will be in need of some thought, due to possible inclement weather approaching.
Õamaru is clustered around a harbour and backed by hills (it’s a former deep water port for this part of North Otago, but now only used by fishing boats and leisure craft).
Architecturally wonderful, with a mix of Victorian era buildings built from limestone. Many of the building edifices are
carved or signed with the names of various banks, proprietors and other civic organisations. Next to them are the later 1900’s buildings and more modern structures. It has a seaside town sort of feel with some industrial heritage . Many of the machines driving industry here were powered by water motors fed by a water system created by an engineer to pipe a new water supply from far up in the hills.
The train line runs right through town and the frequent good trains punctuate the day as they pass through the open level crossings.
It has a Heritage Precinct which we explored and this Whitestone City, born of prosperity of the mid 1800’s - supporting grain, wool and meat production in the surrounding areas, is now home to artists - we noticed many galleries and boutiques.
It is the centre of Steampunk
(which draws inspiration from Victorian-era design and technology, imagined in a world where steam power and other mechanical inventions have advanced further and encompasses fantasy and science fiction, with advanced technology and alternate histories - we learned).
Visiting the interactive museum housed in an old grain elevator building was a highlight, with many artworks by local and international artists, including a local sculptor and artist called Chris Meder, who sadly died aged 39. His metal creations of animals were wonderful and his love of bringing old and broken bits of metal machinery back to life to form new works that are full of character and this shines through in his animal sculptures.
Unlike anything we have been to, it’s a unique experience, and alongside sculptures, it housed imagined technology, interactive displays and fashion, all within a retro-futuristic vibe.
Ōamaru is home to the annual Steampunk NZ Festival (we just missed it by a day 😞 as we rolled in just after the Bank Holiday Weekend) It attracts Steampunk enthusiasts from around the world.Read more