Valid for travel between 18-21 November 2021 only.
Includes:
- 3 nights hotel accommodation with light continental breakfast
- Steampunk HQ Entry Fee
- Vintage Train Ride Fee
- Whitestone City Entry Fee
- Tax included
Excludes:
- Transportation to and from Oamaru
- Travel/health insurance (highly recommended, please contact us for a quote)
- Sightseeing / activities not listed in the itinerary
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Personal expenses such as room service, internet charge, laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional activities, etc
- Optional day tours during free time
- Entry visa if needed
Itinerary:
Day 1
Oamaru - historic charm and hidden treasures
Harbour Street, New Zealand’s most consistently “old” street
Highlights of the day:
- Check Out the Victorian Precinct
- Bushy Beach - meet with yellow-eyed penguins
- Forrester Gallery - spectacular neo-classical building
Tips:
Check Out the Victorian Precinct
Oamaru looks a little different from any other town in New Zealand. You’ll definitely feel like you’ve left New Zealand and been transported back in time as you wander the Victorian Precinct. There are a lot of quirky shops and eateries in the precinct too which makes it worth spending time there. If you’re able to time your trip right, see the Victorian Precinct during the Victorian Fete in mid-November where visitors and locals alike dress up in their best Victorian attire!
Bushy Beach
Bushy Beach is one of the more unique beaches in New Zealand for a number of reasons. One reason is that it is one of the few beaches that is rich in natural coastal vegetation (hence the name). Another, which is one that really draws the crowds, is that it happens to be a breeding ground for the hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin).
Forrester Gallery
The Forrester Gallery is housed in a spectacular neo-classical building originally constructed in 1884 for the Bank of New South Wales.
The Forrester offers the Waitaki and wider region a varied and exciting exhibition programme, houses a growing collection of artworks significant to the region, and stands as an icon of Oamaru's unique historic precinct.
Stay:
Poshtel Boutique Accommodation
In the heart of the Oamaru, Poshtel is within convenient walking distance to the historic precinct, the local gardens, the Oamaru Opera House, Steampunk HQ, penguin viewing and all the delectable eating and unique shopping experiences of the town.
This is not simply a place to sleep and eat before you move on to the next location. Designed by Carter Smith Architecture + Interiors, each room creates a distinct atmosphere all its own. Together they combine to create a myriad of interwoven stories, a collection of art and objects that provide guests with a truly unique NZ experience.
Walk through the hallways and into the rooms and you’ll find the objects that have made Otago such an interesting place through the years. You’ll discover the stories that have arisen, the people that have grown them and, perhaps, a little inspiration for going out and making some stories of your own.
Day 2
Explore Oamaru
All day Victorian splendour
Highlights of the day:
- Take a journey back in time / Oamaru Steam and Rail Ride
- Steampunk HQ Museum
- Grainstore Gallery / visit Donna’s creative world
- Cheese Factory Visit
Includes:
Oamaru Steam and Rail
Take a journey back in time, and enjoy train travel the way it used to be, with Oamaru Steam and Rail. After leaving the Station, you travel through the Historic Precinct, past some of Oamaru's oldest buildings and then through the old railway yard, and past the site of Oamaru's first Railway Station. The train then runs along the bottom of clay cliffs, beside Oamaru's Victorian Harbour.
Steampunk HQ
Steampunk HQ has infiltrated the "Grain Elevator". An 1883 Oamaru stone building, located at the entrance of Oamaru's Victorian Precinct. Steampunk HQ promotes sustainability and recycling; it features an interesting collection of retro-futuristic sci-fi art, movies, sculpture and sound.
Addons:
Cheese Factory Visit
Take a cheese factory tour to see how the good stuff is made or relax in the cafe and sample their creamy and delicious cheese platters. You will get to experience a cheese tasting, informative talk and guided tour of our factory through our viewing galleries, plus walk away with a goody bag sample.
Tips:
Grainstore Gallery
Climb the stairs at 5 Harbour Street and find yourself in what can only be described as an emporium. Local artist Donna Demente studied art in the big smoke, Auckland, but after twenty five years Oamaru is her home and Grainstore Gallery, her creative world.
Day 3
Live a real Victorian experience
Whitestone City, Totara Estate, Moeraki Boulders
Highlights of the day:
- Whitestone City - central heritage hub
- Totara Estate - Step back in time to New Zealand's pioneer past
- Mysteriously spherical stones scattered across a beach
Includes:
Welcome to Whitestone CIty
Set in an original grain store that was built in 1882, and located within New Zealand’s most complete streetscape of Victorian commercial buildings, Whitestone City is a central heritage hub and a must-do while in Oamaru!
Travel back in time and come explore, play, learn more about Oamaru's history and live a real Victorian experience!
Tips
Moeraki Boulders
Moeraki is now most famous for its boulders; mysteriously spherical stones scattered across a beach. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high.
Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago.
Addons:
Totara Estate
Step back in time to New Zealand's pioneer past, and journey through the unique part of New Zealand's history that is Totara Estate.
- Explore the great Estate and experience along the way
- An introductory video on the birth and development of New Zealand's meat industry
- A museum display covering Totara's grand estate days
- The talk of slaughtermen working "on the line" in the 1880s
- Significant archaeological remains
- Early New Zealand sheep breeds
- A tribute to men of monumental vision on nearby Sebastopol Hill.
Day 4
Duntroon
Vanished World, Blacksmith Workshop
Highlights of the day:
- Duntroon has a great mix of natural and cultural wonders waiting to be explored
- Blacksmith workshop - 2 hours
Tips:
Duntroon Vanished World
From The Vanished World Centre to Elephant Rocks, Duntroon has a great mix of natural and cultural wonders waiting to be explored.
Discover the region’s ancient history along the Vanished World Trail in Duntroon, where you will see some incredible geological formations and sites unlike anything else. Marvel at the unique limestone formations including Elephant Rocks, or explore the interactive Vanished World Centre where kids (little and big!) will love digging for fossils in the fossil room. There’s plenty more to discover, including Maori rock art and numerous fossil sites.
About Pacific Jane:
The senior travel writer is a history buff. Sharing the joy of travel inspires Sarah-Jane’s stories. The quirky, the unique experience or the narrow winding road is grist for her typing fingers. Telling a story about a place is a conversation with good friends. As with all good travel writing, the adventure is never finished. There is always something new to write about.
Itinerary building, planning the perfect trip is an art. A travel expert is passionate about making sure your accommodation exceeds her expectations. Her eye for detail means the activities and adventures are effortless. With over fifteen years of travel knowledge to draw on our risk free guarantee is assured. Crafted unique journeys start with Pacific Jane.
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