Oamaru Travel Guide

  Couple of gulls discyssing on Bushy...
by BurgerQueen
 
  • Couple of gulls discyssing on Bushy Beach
      Couple of gulls discyssing on Bushy...
    by BurgerQueen
  • Our yellow eyed star!
      Our yellow eyed star!
    by BurgerQueen
  • Bushy Beach
      Bushy Beach
    by BurgerQueen
  •   Oamaru
    by salisbury3933
  •   Oamaru
    by salisbury3933
 

Explore Oamaru

Things to Do  

Yellow-Eyed Penguins

Yellow-Eyed Penguins, Oamaru

 5 Reviews  Bushy beach is a quiet are along Oamaru coast, where you are likely to see yellow eyed penguins. Differently from the little blue penguins, yellow eyed are very shy, they don't like to see or hear humans. The beach is visible from high above, bringing a pair of binoculars and/or camera zooms is a... 

Historic town

Historic town, Oamaru

 5 Reviews  If you have the time, go for a walk around the "Original Commercial area of Oamaru." This area is known as.... New Zealand's most complete Victorian Streetscape. with buildings dating from the 1870's to 1890's as they were in the past. Most of them are built out of the local limestone. This area... 

Blue Penguin Colony

Blue Penguin Colony, Oamaru

 7 Reviews  A big blue penguin colony settled down in Oamaru, giving you a unique opportunity to observe these little lovely animals from very close. Penguins are used to come back from the seaside in the evening, and they come all at the same time, like little rockets flying out of the water! We attended an... 

Moeraki Boulders

Moeraki Boulders, Oamaru

 1 Review  The coast and specially the boulders make a very nice day trip (or if you are on the way from/to Dundin a great stopping place) out of Oamaru (SH1, 30 km south of Oamaru). The little fishing village of Moeraki got famous due to the spherical boulders along the coast. 3 km out of the village (just... 

SEAFARER'S MEMORIAL LOOKOUT

SEAFARER'S MEMORIAL LOOKOUT, Oamaru

 1 Review  A memorial to all seafarers who sailed from the Port of Oamaru and lost their lives at sea is the lookout. From here, you get fantastic views of Oamaru and the bay, it is well worth coming to, a must see here! 

CRITERION HOTEL

CRITERION  HOTEL, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  Another beautiful building to feast your eyes on, is the Criterion Hotel, which was built in 1877.Operating as a licensed hotel until prohibition came to Oamaru in 1905, it was still used as a private hotel until 1943 when it was bought and used for storage of light... 

SAINT PATRICK'S BASILICA

SAINT PATRICK'S BASILICA, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  This magnificent Catholic church is constructed of Oamaru stone and was built in various stages, the first in 1893 and the last in 1918. The Basilica follows the pattern of the large, roofed buildings used by the Romans for public purposes. The foundation stone was laid on... 

WAITAKI BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

WAITAKI BOYS HIGH SCHOOL, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  This is another impressive building, but located in Waitaki Avenue.Waitaki Boys' High School, founded in 1883, is a secondary school for boys, and also a boarding school.The school is notable for its historic buildings such as the Hall of Memories, an assembly hall, built to... 

More than Penguins: Oamaru - a White Stone Beauty

More than Penguins: Oamaru - a White Stone Beauty, Oamaru

 Kakapo2 Says:  Oamaru, located half-way between Timaru and Dunedin on the Otago coast, is rather well-known for its colony of Little Blue Penguins. It is less known for its sheer beauty. A beauty made of the white stone it has given its name to. Auckland's Town Hall, Post Office and St.... 

Visit the Moeraki Boulders

Visit the Moeraki Boulders, Oamaru

 bsfreeloader Says:  If you are traveling between Oamaru and Dunedin, the Moeraki Boulders command at least a short visit. The boulders lie just off SH1 forty-kilometers south of Oamaru, and the signs along SH1 make them impossible to miss. There are definitely more interesting things to see in... 

Visit the Penguin Colonies

Visit the Penguin Colonies, Oamaru

 bsfreeloader Says:  Oamaru’s main draw these days is its penguins. Within walking distance of the town center are colonies of world’s smallest and rarest penguins – Little (or Blue) and Yellow-eyed Penguins, respectively. Timing a visit to both colonies is easy. The Yellow-eyed Penguins, whose... 

Hotels  

Highfield Mews, Oamaru

 125 Opinions

Off The Beaten Path  

PATTERSON'S COTTAGE @ WAIMATE

PATTERSON'S  COTTAGE @  WAIMATE, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  Waimate is located approx halfway between Timaru and Oamaru. You can turn off route 1 onto route 82 that takes you to Waimate, then come back onto route 1 again, it is not far.....Look for the signpost near Willowbridge. It can be an alternative route between the two... 

SHAG POINT

SHAG POINT, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  After walking and viewing the Moeraki Boulders, we headed on towards Dunedin, stopping off at Shag Point, which is only another 11kms down the road. This point has lookouts and good views of the Ocean and we saw many Seals that were basking on the rocksThe Yellow eyed... 

AUSTRALIAN WALLABIES IN WAIMATE

AUSTRALIAN  WALLABIES IN WAIMATE, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  As we are from Australia, we were very surprised to hear about the population of Bennett's / Red Necked wallabies living around Waimate. They were introduced from Australia and now live in the in the countryside surrounding the town with some being farmed. Their introduction... 

Oamaru to Dunedin by road

Oamaru  to  Dunedin by road, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  If you are travelling to Dunedin by road, instead of taking the main highway, Take the scenic coast road to KAKANUI, and rejoin the main road at Waianakarua river. Just outside of Oamaru are market gardens and beautiful seaside views. Further on, take the side road to the... 

St. Augustine's Church @ Waimate

St. Augustine's Church @ Waimate, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  St Augustine's Church [1872] we came across on our tour around the town of Waimate. What a lovely church it was!It is painted wood, I have read built from Matai & Totara trees that came from the Waimate forest. St Augustine's lantern tower is different! The Bell tower, built... 

THE WHITE HORSE

THE WHITE HORSE, Oamaru

 balhannah Says:  The White Horse is something that caught our eye when visiting here, it is very hard to miss!This big White Horse was made from 1,220 concrete slabs with the head being over 2 1/2 tonne and is on the side of Hunter's hill. It was put there in commemoration of the work done... 

Oamaru radio station

Oamaru radio station, Oamaru

 stargate2 Says:  You can visit many old fashion style cafe, candy shop or even a radio boardcasting station. This is an old style radio boardcasting station located near the main street and the train station. They feature many antique radios and recorders, etc.They played a song for us... 

Favorites  

A Town's Story Comes Alive!

A Town's Story Comes Alive!, Oamaru

 S2ryteller Says:  Check ou the live show in Oamaru's stunning old Victorian quarter. It brings alive the buildings by telling the true story of The Great Storm of 1868. Just 3 actors take on multiple characters to tell the story in an old grain store of a young town; a storm, a shipwreck on... 

Go up to the lookout...

Go up to the lookout..., Oamaru

 kiwi Says:  It's worth taking the bus up to the lookout, especially if the weather is nice. You can see all up the coast, and over the town.Go to the Information Office to find out about when the bus runs and where to catch it. Up at the lookout there is a large couch/sofa made from... 

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Map of Oamaru