Travels and Birds: Oamaru

You enter Oamaru from the north as Highway 1 becomes a business street filled with motels and restaurants. We arrived before noon and were the only ones in our motel when we checked in. By evening it was full as tourists and business travelers filled up the empty rooms. A few blocks further down Highway 1, the road splits and we headed into the real town. As we drove through town, we passed many old Victorian era buildings, beautiful in design. For several, their function has changed, but they are well cared for and a source of pride in the community. With a population of only 12,000, the town is small enough that these buildings really stand out. They aren’t overwhelmed by new construction like we would find down the road in Dunedin with its population of 120,000.

This is part of the war memorial. It reminded us of the sorrowful lion in Lucerne.

When we reached the end of the street and had to turn, we saw the sign that we were now entering the Victorian part of town. While the buildings are not as spectacular, this really is a more interesting area for pedestrians. The old wool shed and warehouses have become a small shopping center filled with more than the usual antique shops we find in many older parts of towns. There is an antique shop, but also a shop with fine woollens, another with good quality modern clothing, and a lovely gift shop focused on New Zealand made items. One typical used book store is joined by another that focuses on adventure travel and has an interesting display on Shackleford including a mockup of the boat they used to cross hundreds of miles of the Antarctic Ocean. Next to the bookstores is a book bindery. Perhaps, the highlight is the working sculpture gallery. The artist, Ian Anderson (not of Jethro Tull), works in limestone and we saw several of his larger works around town. He is ready for tourists as his prices all include shipping costs to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In another time when we lived in a larger house, we probably would have purchased something here. A tea shop, restaurant, and hotel provide places to rest up from the heavy shopping.