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Oamaru and the Waitaki District - Naturally Bolder
Listings for: Waitaki District > Activities and Attractions
Harbourside, Oamaru's Historic Precinct
Many of Oamaru's majestic whitestone buildings reside within this historic precinct, once the business hub with banks, hotels, grain and wool stores. Today being revitalised with shops and restaurants, this is a 'must see' for all visitors.
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Oamaru Public Gardens
Est. 1876
Oamaru Gardens are one of the oldest and finest in NZ.
13 hectares of stunning established gardens and features. Open daily from dawn till dusk.
A wide variety of colourful gardens, traditional and modern complete with an excellent children's playground; a 100 year old Summerhouse; aviary, fern shade house, band rotunda, Japanese red bridge and Chinese gardens - an ideal place for the whole family to enjoy, and the perfect setting for your wedding photographs.
 Living History
For over a century Oamaru Public Gardens has welcomed, entertained and inspired.
The well tended gardens and distinctive features reflect the unique style and heritage of Oamaru and Whitestone Waitaki.
Provision was made to develop 13 hectares of public reserve between Chelmer and Isis Streets when Oamaru was surveyed in 1858.
Officially opened in October 1876, the Oamaru Gardens are one of the oldest in the country.
Whitestone Charm & Character
From the moment visitors enter the classical main gates on Severn Street, they discover a special space designed to foster an appreciation for our natural environment.
The regal Craig Fountain donated by James Craig JP and erected in 1915 near the main entrance is one of many charming features. Made of Italian marble, this magnificent fountain is surrounded by a colourful profusion of bedding plants.
One of the finest features is the Wonderland Statue created by Scottish Sculptor Thomas J. Clapperton and gifted in 1926 by former Mayor Robert Milligan. This magical area includes a garden completed in 1959 and an ornamental stream flowing past the gracious Swan Fountain.
The Elderslie Gazebo provides a romantic venue for contemplation alongside the popular Display House which is open daily from 9am—4.30pm.
The local Chinese community is celebrated in the Chinese Garden easily identified by an impressive oriental inspired wall and entrance off Chelmer Street. This traditional garden is also accessible via the distinctive red Japanese Bridge.
Oamaru Creek meanders gently through the Gardens past the Top Pond and Mirror Lake created by the Council’s gardener James Kidd in the late 1870s.
Other unique features include the Band Rotunda, Aviary and Peacock House and a children’s play area complete with paddling pools, coin operated barbeques and an enticing range of play equipment.
Naturally Better
The Garden’s natural features reflect the passion and vision of former curators. Their legacy has been a proud tradition of community involvement and pride.
Regularly updated displays of bedding plants and stunning rose gardens are ablaze with colour during summer entrancing visitors with their luscious scent and picture perfect form. There is an impressive array of New Zealand native plants that includes mature trees, shrubs and a Native Fernery.
For a touch of the exotic, the centrally located Display House is renowned for bold displays of begonias in summer.
People Spaces
The interaction of people with nature has been paramount in the Oamaru Garden’s evolution. Individual areas are seamlessly linked by walkways while a successful fusion of old and new, modern and traditional makes each visit a memorable experience.
The children’s play area has entertained countless families over the years while wide walkways are suitable for walking or running.
A large glade by the Band Rotunda and Aviary surrounded by magnificent trees provides the ideal venue for events including Victorian Heritage Week tea parties and the annual Whitestone Waitaki Wine and Food Festival.
The Gardens offer the perfect backdrop for wedding ceremonies and photographs as well as other special occasions.
At the western end, croquet lawns and several grass tennis courts are also popular.
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Back in Time
Upstairs every Sunday. Electrical Heritage Museum.
| Address: |
1 Tyne Street, Harbourside, Oamaru |
| Map Reference: |
18
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Clarks Mill
Originally part of Totara Estate, the Kakanui Flour and Oatmeal Mill was built in 1866 to help process the enormous amounts of grain produced in the fertile lands of North Otago. One of 13 such mills, Clarks Mill as it is known locally, functioned until 1976. It was purchased by the Historic Places Trust the following year and the Trust has set about restoring it to tell the story of the grain industry and how flour and other products such as oatmeal (porridge) and pollard is made.
While much of the machinery is original, the mill also shows how technology changed from being powered by water and using millstones, to electric driven rollers. The building itself is a massive limestone creation hosting massive wheels and wooden equipment which has been likened to being inside a large clock.
Guides show visitors around the building and explain the workings of the mill but also tell a few stories about the people that worked and lived on the site and some of their activities – such as the great flood of 1868 and how a millers cottage hosted the youths of the area in an informal hotspot for many years.
Opening hours: Sundays 1-3pm (October-April)
At other times by local arrangement
Enquiries: Totara Estate
Phone: (03) 434 7169
E-Mail: totaraestate@historic.org.nz
For map see www.google.com/maps?q=maheno otago
| Address: |
State Highway 1, Maheno, Otago |
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Harbourside Gifts & Souvenirs
Gifts and souvenirs including Possum-Merino accessories. Open 7 days.
| Address: |
1 Tyne Street, Harbourside, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 434 1556 |
| Map Reference: |
18
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Kurow Golf Club
| Address: |
5 Manse Road, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 436 0870 |
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Lazycat Pottery and Tileworks
Contemporary NZ Art Craft + Design in a historic setting. Handmade Tiles Pottery Stone Copper Garden-Art Toys NZ-Icons Gifts and More. Handmade tile commissions. Digital ceramic printers, design your own exclusive kitchen or bathroom tiles. Open 7 days a week.
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Living History NZ
... bringing our history alive!
Living History In Oamaru
Two new heritage experiences take centre stage in Oamaru this summer. Both open a fascinating ‘window on the past’.
The first is a unique live history show which tells the story of The Great Storm of 1868 in a 60 minute performance aimed at bringing alive the town’s world renowned Victorian stone buildings. It is set in the town’s historic quarter and features the Living History Players, a professional acting troupe, who entertain and inform visitors about key events in the town’s history.
In a newly commissioned show for this summer season, they tell the story of a young town; a storm, a shipwreck on the beach, and a love torn apart. It is both dramatic and comic and a compelling example of the power of theatre to bring history to life in a stirring tale of tragedy and triumph.
During the day visitors can experience what life was like in early New Zealand on the new “Great Estates Tour”. It will take visitors on a trip ‘back in time’ through stunning limestone landscapes to three historic estates. Staff at each estate will be dressed in period costumes as befitting their roles. First up is the famous Totara Estate where visitors will drink billy tea brewed by historic swaggers’ who frequented the area in pioneer days.
Then it’s to Burnside Homestead noted for its octagonal Great Hall. The décor, fabrics, and furnishings are little changed from its beginnings, as the butler will point out during the tour. A lunch of traditional Victorian fare will be served from recipes handed down through the decades.
The final destination is Elderslie Estate, whose grounds were designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. Here visitors will be met by the gardener, and taken on a walk around the grounds before taking home-made lemonade on the lawn. The tour picks up and drops off with Oamaru accommodation providers, and links with the early evening live history show back in Oamaru.
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Lower Waitaki Golf Club
| Address: |
Hilderthorpe Road, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 431 3800 |
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Market Promenade
Upstairs every Sunday. Specialty shops, studios and boutiques.
| Address: |
1 Tyne Street, Harbourside, Oamaru |
| Map Reference: |
18
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Matanaka
Otago's First Farm
The first European settlers along the Otago coast were whalers who worked at shore whaling stations set up in various bays and inlets in the 1830s. In 1838 Johnny Jones, a Sydney-based trader, whaler and shipowner, bought a whaling station near today’s Waikouaiti. When whaling slumped, he bought large tracts of land from the Maori and in 1840 recruited migrant families to settle at the north end of the bay. Soon afterwards Jones established a farm at Matanaka, on the headland above the settlers’ buildings, where he himself settled in 1843. A number of buildings from this farm — a stable, a granary, a schoolhouse, a privy and a farm shed — still stand today. Probably the oldest surviving farm buildings in New Zealand, they are a legacy from the days of the transition from shore whaling to farming. The buildings are picturesque and superbly situated. On a visit it is possible to recapture the atmosphere of the times when they were new and part of the first farm in Otago, then a remote and sparsely inhabited corner of the young colony of New Zealand.
How To Reach Matanaka
The Matanaka farm buildings are 5km southeast of Waikouaiti, towards the coast. The turnoff from SH 1, clearly sign-posted, is just over 1km north of the Waikouaiti Post Office. Travel along Edinburgh Street and a private road for 4.3km to reach a sign-posted carpark. A walking track leads 400m across fields to the farm buildings. If cattle are in the paddocks, visitors may prefer to take a winding track from the north-western side of the carpark alongside a plantation and through a stand of gum trees. The homestead is a private home and visitors should keep to the direct routes from the carpark to the buildings. Permission to walk north along the old fenceline towards Tumai should be obtained from the farmer.
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North Otago Golf Club
| Address: |
Beach Road, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 434 5531 |
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North Otago Museum
Where there are riches there are people;
& where there are people, stories flow
Monday to Friday 10.30am - 4.30pm
Weekends & Public Holidays 1.00pm - 4.30pm
Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday
Community Archive
Monday to Friday 1.00pm - 4.00pm
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Oamaru Auto Collection
Boasting over 30 vehicles from Vintage and Classic to Historic Motorsport, this motoring museum, in the heart of Oamaru’s Historic Precinct, is a must visit for the enthusiast. Our motoring past on show including Historic Motorsport Vehicle and Memorabilia.
Open 7 days.
The Woolstore Complex
| Address: |
1 Tyne Street, Harbourside, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 434 1556 |
| Map Reference: |
18
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Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is well known for its night viewing. But it is much more than a viewing stand and ramp to watch penguins come ashore. Interactive displays, a children's play area, information panels and videos, and day tours into the breeding area await anyone interested in a close encounter with native New Zealand wildlife.
A combination of Forest and Bird, Waitaki District Council, DOC, and interested environmentalists established a way for tourists to experience, but not impact on, Blue Penguins. "What makes us different," states colony manager Jason Gaskill, "is that we can open the Blue Penguin life cycle to visitors without impacting on the life cycle of the Blue Penguin."
"They are not pets", Mr Gaskill points out. "The penguins are not tamed. They are not captive, in a zoo. The Blue Penguins in the colony live a natural life - the same life they would lead if we were not here. The fact we are here simply allows them to live longer, safer, and more productive lives. And people can come and watch."
A self-sustaining eco-tourism venture, the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is home to nearly 500 individual birds. Each week these birds are monitored: their breeding success is gauged, their offspring are weighed, the local environment is protected, tourism's impact is measured - all under the watchful eyes of thousands of visitors every year.
bookings@penguins.co.nz
| Contact: |
Jason Gaskill |
| Address: |
Waterfront Road, Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 433 1195 |
| Mobile/After Hours: |
0274 378 322 |
| Fax: |
+64 3 433 1165 |
| Email: |
obpc@penguins.co.nz
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| Website: |
www.penguins.co.nz
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| Map Reference: |
44
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Oamaru-Dunedin Shuttle
Regular coach service between Oamaru and Dunedin and vice versa. Take in the magnificent scenery of the coast. Including Palmerston and Moeraki Boulders. Karitane and Kakanui as required. Hop on, hop off to suit. Door to door service between Oamaru - Dunedin - Dunedin Airport. Forget parking problems we will drop you to the door! Alternatively, phone Oamaru Visitor Information Centre on (03) 434 1656.
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Secrets of the Old Town
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
Step inside Victorian Oamaru
A walking tour with a difference that will leave you a little surprised, well entertained and a great deal enlightened!
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Slightly Foxed Secondhand Books
Quality books bought and sold. Open Sun 10am-4pm. Mon-Sat 10am-5:00pm (May-Sept 4:00pm)
| Contact: |
Jenny Lynch-Blosse and Kahren Thompson |
| Address: |
11 Tyne Street, (Historic Precinct), Oamaru |
| Phone: |
+64 3 434 2155 |
| Mobile/After Hours: |
+64 3 434 9628 (a/h) |
| Fax: |
+64 3 434 7561 |
| Email: |
slightlyfoxed@actrix.co.nz
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| Map Reference: |
24
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The Forrester Gallery
The gallery has an active exhibitions programme as well as an extensive permanent collection of works relevant to the region.
The art bank - A unique interplay of art and architecture within this stunning 1884 Whitestone building.
HISTORY
The Forrester Gallery is housed in a spectacular neoclassical building originally constructed in 1884 for the Bank of New South Wales. The building was designed by R A Lawson to complement, even rival, the adjacent National Bank building. The site was acquired by the former Oamaru Borough Council and opened as a gallery in 1983 with the help of a substantial legacy from John M Forrester (1865-1965).
The gallery’s exterior and interior both provide lavish neoclassical detailing from towering Whitestone columns to a spiralling staircase. Our staff are happy to show and interpret the history of the building, including the original vault and bank chamber ceiling.
COLLECTIONS
The Forrester houses a growing collection of art works significant to the region and stands as an icon of Oamaru's unique whitestone historic precinct. Included are works by Colin McCahon, Colin Wheeler, Grahame Sydney, Ralph Hotere, Peter Cleverley, Bing Dawe, Edward Gifford, Evelyn Page, George O’Brien, Marilynn Webb and Margaret Stoddart. View these works on display, in our visible storage display or online at www.forrestergallery.com. Exhibitions are rotated to ensure there will always be works from our permanent collection to see.
Not to be missed: On the 21st of September 2005 The Forrester Gallery was gifted by The Parsloe Family Trust a selection of Colin McCahon works ranging from the 1930s to the 1960s. The works were gifted to the Parsloe Family by the artist himself. Beatrice Parsloe, nee McCahon, was Colin McCahon's sister. These works form the larger part of a long-term exhibition.
Open 7 days 10:30am - 4:30pm - FREE ADMISSION
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The Great Storm of 1868
The Living History Players bring Victorian Oamaru alive as they tell the town's dramatic story.
"A tiny big masterpiece" UK
Tues-Sat @ 6pm sharp, Smiths Grain Store
Season: December 2008 until the end of March 2009.
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The New Zealand Malt Whisky Company
- The Barrel House Maturation Store
- Tours & Whisky Tasting
- Preston's General Merchant Wine, Spirits & Food Items
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The Photo Shoppe
Victorian sepia portraits, costumes provided. Open 7 days.
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The Woolstore Cafe
No more unique experience will be found anywhere in New Zealand than to eat and relax in the genuine, old world atmosphere of an historic woolstore built over 125 years ago. Licensed Cafe/Restaurant situated in the historic Woolstore Complex in Oamaru.
Open from 7am – 5pm everyday except Wednesday.
(B) (L) (D) (FL) (TM) (WA)
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The Woolstore Galleries
The Woolstore Complex - OPEN 7 DAYS
Upstairs every Sunday. Specialty shops, studios and boutiques.
| Address: |
1 Tyne Street, Historic Precinct, Harbourside, Oamaru |
| Map Reference: |
18
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Totara Estate
... frozen in time
Take a step back in time to New Zealand’s pioneer past… Share in a great NZ story. Come face to face with a character from the past.
Explore original 1860's farm buildings. See heritage New Zealand sheep breeds.
Opening Hours:
November - April: Daily 10am – 6pm (last admission 5pm)
Closed Christmas Day and Easter Friday
May, September & October: Daily 10am - 4pm
June, July & August: By arrangement
Totara Estate - 8kms south of Oamaru on SH1, look for the signs!
Guided Tour bookings and reservations online: www.totaraestate.co.nz or phone (03) 434-7169
Visit anytime during our open hours to stroll around our displays. But if you have the time, we strongly recommend the 11:00am guided tour.
Daily Guided Tour an Experience not to Miss!
Come face to face with a swagger from the past - the likes of Ned 'The Shiner' Slattery or Barney Whiterats.
The Estate, just south of historic Oamaru, is famous as the birthplace of New Zealand's frozen meat industry, but its story offers a much wider insight into early pioneering life, its hardships and achievements.
This 'living history' is part of a daily guided tour on at 11am during summer (November through April). We aim to bring history alive in a way that is memorable and visitors can relate to. We're keen for the buildings (original Oamaru stone farm buildings dating from 1868) to tell their stories in a way that is relevant and meaningful. Our focus however is on authenticity and any 'character' brought to life is historically linked to the Estate.
Visitors tour the Estate with a guide in period costume who brings its stories to life. A feature is the 'billy tea' and scones offered at the tour's conclusion and a chance to meet those 'characters from the past'.
Bookings can be made by phoning Totara Estate on (03) 434-7169 or online at totaraestate@historic.org.nz
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Vanished World
Centre and Eco Trail:
10am - 4pm daily, October - April. (Reduced winter hours.) Vanished World Trail brochures available. A unique geo-tourism experience.
Fossil Trail:
Experience the imprints of ancient eco-systems. Understand the forces that shaped North Otago’s landscape.
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Waitaki Aquatic Centre
Indulge in the water culture! Enjoy a hydrotherapy spa, or have fun in an aquarobic class. Lane swimming and water-jogging in this spacious complex. Children's facilities and slide.
Monday - Friday 6.00am - 8.00pm
Saturday - Sunday 10.00am - 6.00pm
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Whitestone Walking Tours
Explore, discover and experience the fascinating story behind the properous development of Victorian Oamaru's Historic Precinct. See inside some of the restored buildings. Be photographed with your professional guide in period costume and/or a penny-farthing cycle. Bookings Oamaru Visitor Information Centre. 1 Thames Street. Tours take approx 1 hour.
| Phone: |
+64 3 434 1656 |
| Map Reference: |
35
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