Oamaru (Otago South island)

Oamaru, (borrowed from Wikipedia) the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both. Oamaru's historic status as the second centre in the Otago Region (after Dunedin) appears under threat from the growth of Queenstown in Central Otago. The Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Airways provides regular flights from Oamaru Airport to Christchurch.

The name Oamaru apparently derives from Māori words meaning the place of Maru (compare with Timaru). The identity of Maru remains open to conjecture.

The Criterion Hotel (well worth having a stay)

Many public buildings are built of local limestone, quarried especially near Weston, and known as Oamaru stone. The southern part of Oamaru's main business district ranks as one of New Zealand's most impressive streetscapes[citation needed] due to the many prominent buildings constructed from this material. This and another part of the town close to the harbour have been preserved as historic precincts.

Most of the streets in Oamaru take their names from rivers in England, particularly rivers in the northwest and southeast of the country. The main retail and commercial areas line Thames Street; State Highway 1 running south follows Severn Street, and historic commercial buildings dominate Tyne Street.

A colony of little blue penguins lives on the harbour, and a colony of yellow-eyed penguins just south of the town attracts ecotourists. Penguins sometimes live under buildings close to the beach, including the town's music club, The Penguin Club.

Oamaru is the eastern gateway to the Mackenzie Basin, via the Waitaki Valley.

See Also: Day 15 – Oamaru