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Latest Oamaru hotel reviews
6 Reviews Visit Oamaru for a Penguin evening in the Blue Penguin Colony. Those penguins nest in town close to the harbour. There is a little Blue Penguin Reserve/Visitor Centre. You pay about 8$ entrance. Go there at dusk (or about 30 minutes before for commentaries) and watch how the penguins get back home...
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...
4 Reviews On the Bushy Beach Road (Ask in visitor centre for map or directions) is a nesting site for Yellow-Eyed Penguins. Go to the watch towers at dusk any see them coming back to feed their chicks. They are not as numerous as the Blue Penguins in the harbour but much cuter and therefore worth the wait.
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...
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!
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...
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...
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
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....
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...
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...
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
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...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
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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1
The town has the largest collection of protected Heritage buildings in New Zealand. They were designed by the best Architects of the time, and built out of the local limestone, known world wide at...
2
I've got some interesting experiences in Oamaru. I'd love to share with you the 9 tips I've written, the 11 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
3
Oamaru is a small coastal town on the East coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is most famed for its colony of blue penquins, which come asore most nights having been out all day fishing.
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New Zealand towns are not steeped in history in general. But Oamaru is one of the few where history is apparent. Mostly famous for it's white stone buildings, Oamaru was developed during the mid 19th...
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This was my home town when I was growing up and as I return to visit, it is easy to see that the focus of this quiet agricultural based town has shifted dramatically. As I drove into town, I saw what...
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