Escape To Ōamaru This Spring
Set at the base of the Waitaki valley, on the North Otago coast between Christchurch and Dunedin, Ōamaru makes for a worthwhile weekend escape from these nearby cities. Take a cheeky Friday off and get there by lunchtime.
As soon as you turn off the highway, it’s clear this is an extraordinary wee town. Victorian frontages line Thames Street, with little change since the 1880s. However, it’s what inside which shows the evolution – and preservation – of time. Here you will find working studios, coffee shops, design stores and even a brewery.
Perhaps surprisingly, shopping options here are delivered in spades. Head to Hyde Boutique for designer labels before coming upon The Heritage Precinct, a must-visit, just down the road where you’ll find Crafted & Design Inc selling unique ceramics and glasswork by local Waitaki artists.
Around the corner sits Steampunk HQ, a museum of art, sound and light – embodying Ōamaru’s distinctness in ways that words can’t describe. Victorian engineering meets science fiction, and fans of cinematic retro-futurism will be in their element. Along with the annual Steampunk Festival, it’s why the town is known as New Zealand’s steampunk capital, and why an afternoon disappears easily here.
Evenings are when Ōamaru comes into its own. Down at the waterfront you hear the kororā / little penguins, before you see them, calling as they cross the rocks to their nests. You can watch them from tiered stands purpose-built to experience this wonder. Spring is breeding season, so the hundreds of penguins coming ashore are carrying food back to chicks in their burrows. Book with Ōamaru Penguins before you leave home; it regularly sells out.
There’s no shortage of good food in Ōamaru, but for fine dining, Cucina is not to be missed. Yanina and Pablo cook South American, Italian and Spanish dishes over open charcoal, and their 55-day aged rib-eye has a following of its own.
Save the next morning for the open country. In spring the paddocks north of town fill with lambs, and Dot’s Castle rises out of them beside State Highway 1. Built over decades from Ōamaru stone and a lifetime of collected treasures, the castle is a testament to work ethic and imagination. Riverstone Kitchen sits on the same farm, and its seasonal menu changes with whatever is ready in their own garden. The road inland climbs into limestone country, all of it sits inside the Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark. Walk or ride a stretch of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail or take the short track near Duntroon to the stunning Elephant Rocks and Anatini.
Further up the road the valley opens out, running alongside vineyards and the braided Waitaki River with the snow- capped Southern Alps in the distance.
Kurow makes a natural turning point an hour from town, but not before stopping in for a tasting or award-winning Pinot Noir at Valli Wine Bar. Back in Ōamaru, take your pick of boutique stays. Casa Nova House occupies a beautifully restored 1861 stone mansion with three guest rooms. The new Tirohanga Nui Lodge is five minutes from the Heritage Precinct, pairing modern luxury and a hot tub with unrivalled harbour views.
Whether you come for the Victorian streets and steam-powered invention or for open country and a good cellar door, you can pack more into a spring weekend in Ōamaru than its Whitestone facade suggests.
For more information, visit waitakinz.com
