Highway House Oamaru

Visit the Criterion Hotel

by kiwi

Criterion Hotel,
3 Tyne Street,
OAMARU.


This old hotel was built in 1877 among the business section of this town. Constructed in the lovely white limestone of the area, and with a few luxuries it was more popular than the opposition and because quite well known. The hotel battled anti alcohol protestors and in 1906 the sale of alcohol was illegalised, forcing the hotel to change it's life. After several uses, the building was registered in the Historic Places Trust register in 1987. With the hotel being renovated and returned to it's original purpose, that of selling alcohol, you can again buy a pint of ale here, while you stand on the sawdusted floor and take in the history of the town.

Moeraki Boulders

by rozehill

The Moeraki Boulders, geological curiosities each weighing several tonnes, and measuring up to 4 metres in circumference, lie on Hampden Beach much as if a giant, weary of his play, has walked away from a game of bowls - so much so that the early whalers named them The Ninepins and the location, Vulcan's Foundry. The spherical, grey, septarian boulders were formed on the sea floor about 60 million years ago by the gradual accumulation of lime salts around a small centre. Their shape is thus caused by chemistry and not by wave action. The cracks in the boulders, or concretions as they are more correctly called, are typical of this type of growth and are filled with crystals of calcite. The boulders appear from the bank behind the beach as the softer mudstone in which they rest is weathered away by the sea. Formerly plentiful, many of the concretions have been removed. Those left are generally too heavy to have been taken away. Though not unique, such concretions are rare, and the area is now protected as a scientific reserve.

Hit the Beach !!!

by kenmerk

At sunset, sit up high in the designated "Penguin Blind" and watch the little guys hit the beach...

It is pretty interesting as they will pause on the beach for quite a while (seemingly for a photo op, but actually to cool off) before tramping up into the bush to head towards their nest...

Endangered Species....

by kenmerk

The yellow eyed penguins are one of the most endangered of the penguin species. There are only about 4000 or so in the world...

Note the metal band on the right wing of the adult... Its used for tracking by the local conservation group...

The picture here is another penguin nest close up, thanks to the guided tour by the local conservation group here at Oamaru...

Largest Town in North Otago

by Aidy_p

"Quaint Town That's Often Bypass"

We were also one of the guilty party of not spending enough time in this lovely town of Oamaru.

This is where you can see a colony of blue and yellow penguins, and also the Moeraki Bolders since the time of the Maoris.

Instead, Jac and I chose to stop at their classic train station and building to take some pictures.

To know how long you can park without paying, check out the parking signs before placing your vehicle in the lot. There are grace periods. For example, when you see a P 30 sign, it means that you have free parking for 30 minutes.