Oamaru Travel Guide: Tips For a Fun Trip to Oamaru

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Whether you’re passing through or staying a night or two, our Oamaru travel guide will show you the best things to see and do and some tips on organising your trip. Oamaru is one of our favourite towns in New Zealand and we’ve been there dozens of times over the years — hopefully you’ll love it as much as we do!

Getting There

Oamaru sits on the main road between Christchurch and Dunedin — you may not need to plan much as it might already be on your route. It’s an awesome place to stop for an hour or two (free parking, good food + lots of things to do) but it could easily warrant a couple of nights if you have the time.

If you’re coming from inland you’ll most likely be driving through the Waitaki Valley, which has some cute small towns as well as some hikes in the foothills of the Southern Alps. From Christchurch it should take three hours, from Dunedin it’s 90 minutes (check out this post about the drive between Dunedin and Oamaru) and from Lake Tekapo it’s two hours.

 

Oamaru History

As with most historic coastal towns in New Zealand, Oamaru prospered thanks to its harbour. It didn’t have a proper one early on though — ships had to anchor just offshore with people wading through the water to land. A bit like when longtail boats in Thailand stop just offshore and you have to get wet if you want to touch land again.

Eventually a breakwater and wharfs were constructed and the whole operation got a lot safer. It thrived until the 1960s when a lot of the port industry evaporated, essentially stopping in 1974. Oamaru kept a lot of its heritage buildings when other towns were demolishing theirs — and now it’s a thriving tourist town because of it.

The Town

Oamaru is home to 14,000 people and is quite spread out. Tourists head straight for the town centre though, where a few historic streets and the harbour are the main attractions.

 

 

The Historic Quarter

Oamaru’s historic quarter is revolves around Harbour Street, one of the most picturesque streets in New Zealand. The buildings are uniformly old and grand, most being former warehouses.

Stroll down Harbour Street and pop into one of the galleries, shops, cafés or bars. Some of the surrounding streets are full of old buildings too and there are museums, second hand shops and places to eat spread around the historic quarter. We love the old-time atmosphere in Oamaru — it’s why we named it as our favourite town in the South Island!

 

Beaches and Walks

Oamaru Harbour is a short walk from the old town and feaures a beach, a cafe, restaurant and Oamaru Spit (nice spot for a walk).

You can see little blue penguins close to sunset (Waterfront Road or Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony) and if you’re keen to see yellow-eyed Penguins you could drive to Bushy Beach (try and spot the penguin in the photo below).

There are some good walks on the hills above Oamaru (Skyline Walk / South Hill Walkway) the coastal tracks at Cape Wanbrow and to the south you have 14s beach and Kakanui (stunning beach — 15 minute drive from Oamaru).

READ MORE: Where Are the Best Beaches in Oamaru?

Other Things To Do in Oamaru

You could visit a castle (Riverstone), visit Steampunk HQ (an interactive gallery) or visit the weekly farmers market. Lookout Point is also a must-see I reckon — great views over Oamaru! Check out our post about the best things to do in Oamaru.

Nearby Towns / Attractions

Oamaru is close to Kakanui (home to one of the best beaches in the region), Moeraki Boulders, Moeraki Village and several more little beach towns on the way south to Dunedin.

To the north Timaru is an hour away and if you head inland you’ll reach the Waitaki Valley — lots to explore there including some interesting small towns (Duntroon, Otematata and Kurow).

Oamaru Itinerary

If you’re passing through Oamaru head straight for Harbour Street for a stroll or a coffee. It’s one of the best places to break up a journey in New Zealand — heaps to see and do in a small area, lots of food options and plenty of free parking.

Things to do in Oamaru, New Zealand

A one-night – two-day Oamaru itinerary could include hitting all the downtown sights on the first day and then some penguin spotting to round out the day. On day two you could do a walk, explore Bushy Beach, Kakanui and Moeraki or just hang out in Oamaru and enjoy the shopping and dining.

Where to Stay

There is a good range of accommodation in Oamaru to suit all budgets. We usually do day trips to Oamaru but we stayed a while back and chose Poshtel — very stylish and with its own small museum! I’d also consider staying at Moeraki if you’re keen for a different atmosphere.

Where to Eat

There are heaps of good places to eat in Oamaru — more than a town this size would normally have. Stick around the old town and you’ll have lots of options including sit-down restaurants, bars, breweries cafes and takeaways. Head to the waterfront (Del Mar or The Galley) if you want a view of the harbour with your food.

Shopping

Shopping is one of the main things to do in Oamaru. There are several boutique shops, galleries and second hand stores which are fun to browse even if you have no intention of buying anything. Again, Harbour Street and the immediate area surrounding it is the place to go, although you’ll find lots more shops on the long main road through town.

Are you planning a trip to New Zealand? Check out our South Island travel guide!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.