Oamaru - Victoriana, Steampunk and more penguins

Oamaru

Our next stop, Oamaru, was one of our favourite towns to visit in New Zealand. It didn't necessarily have the most impressive things there, but it was a friendly place, with great Victorian buildings, the excellent steampunk HQ, nice little shops, and more of those great little blue penguins.

Bushy Beach, Oamaru

Let's start with the penguins. Firstly, there is a place called Bushy Beach, a short drive out of town, where you may be able to spot yellow eyed penguins. There are only a couple of pairs in the area, but you could be lucky. Don't go down onto the beach itself, as if they are around you will just scare them away. Instead, there is a hide up in the cliffs where you can watch from. Be warned, it is windy and liable to be cold, so wrap up warm. We didn't see them when we went, but we know others who had more luck.

Oamaru

But while the yellow eyed penguins may be elusive, the little blues certainly aren't. There is a conservation project right here in town, where you can go for penguin viewings much like we did on the Otago Peninsula, and you are pretty much guaranteed to get a nice sighting of lots of them coming in to nest.

We decided not to do this though, and instead to take the free option, of walking up near to the official area and spotting some of the individuals coming back to nests a little further down. We managed to see quite a few popping out of the water and scurrying across the road to the scrub area on the other side.

Little blue penguin, Oamaru

If you decide to do it this way, please do have some respect for the birds. We saw some kids running at them and (in fairness unintentionally) scaring them, which as well as being nasty anyway, can prevent them from getting to their nest and make them easier targets for predators. Their parents did stop them, but they should have prevented them in the first place.

Watching them here is fine, but keep quiet, keep a reasonable distance, don't get in their way, and no torches or flash photography. The latter is not just to avoid scaring them, but because they come and go in the dark, their eyes are very sensitive to light, and that kind of exposure to bright light, even briefly, can seriously damage their eyesight, which can leave them unable to feed and stay safe.

But they aren't just around the conservation area. Penguins have been spotted in the centre of the town, and are often hanging out around the old railway tracks. So wherever you go, keep your eyes peeled for them, and if driving after dusk, do watch out for them on the road.

And check under your vehicle before driving off - we had to stop a camper van that was about to drive away with a little blue penguin just in front of its rear wheel. Thankfully we'd been speaking to the owners earlier, so they stopped for us rather than thinking we were dangerous lunatics and driving off anyway!

Oamaru

While you may well be looking at penguins in the evenings, during the day, it is well worth checking out the town to see the excellent job it has done of preserving the Victorian architecture. They have also used this heritage to encourage some lovely independent shops, with antiques, crafts and kitschy-in-a-good-way Victoriana.

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

Oamaru

  

Oamaru

There are some rather quirky galleries too, with interesting, clever, and at times slightly disturbing looking pieces of art for sale.

Oamaru

And the art isn't confined to the shops. There are some great sculptures and carved trees in the park too.

Nic had to have a go in the giant hamster wheel, but was soon tired out from all that exertion.

Oamaru

Penny farthing, Oamaru

Do also keep your eye out for a guy out cycling on his old penny farthing - I kid you not, he really does use it to get around town.

Outside of town, we were recommended to visit a particular restaurant Riverstone Kitchen, where they grow much of their own food. It was a very nice restaurant, and I would certainly go again, but I guess we would have to refer to the family as a tad eccentric. They are building themselves a huge castle to live in next door, and they have (sadly kitsch in a not so good way) shops and have a mock up Boot Hill.

Riverstone Restaurant castle, Oamaru

Riverstone 'Boot Hill', Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

But back in town, perhaps the most unusual attraction here is the Steampunk HQ. For those who have never heard of it - or indeed who have heard of it but still don't know what it is - steampunk is a genre that describes fantasy worlds with technological inventions driven by steampower rather than electricity. They are typically set in a kind of futuristic Victorian era.

The term steampunk was coined in 1987, by K W Jeter, who along with people like Tim Powers and James Blaylock, wrote in this genre, to describe their brand of fiction. But whilst it is a relatively new term, HG Wells and Jules Verne are generally thought of as the forefathers of steampunk.

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Steampunk HQ here is basically a collection of steampunk art and machinery. I suppose we were a little disappointed that most of the exhibits were static rather than automated, but nonetheless, we enjoyed visiting. The working organ was good fun, and there were some great pieces both inside and out.

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

By far our favourite thing there though, was The Portal, which they describe as "a retro-futuristic mirror and lighting installation that features original glowing light sculptures with a theme of skulls and mythology." It is a tiny room that you walk into which, thanks to clever use of mirrors and lighting, makes you feel like you are looking into an infinite space. We loved it, and were glad that we were there on a quiet day so could have a few goes inside. And the photos of it are fun too.

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru

The Portal, Steampunk HQ, Oamaru