Oamaru is famed as the home of New Zealand’s largest colony of Blue Penguins, arriving en masse every evening from a day out at sea. But Oamaru is also New Zealand’s best-preserved historic town, with an intact Victorian precinct featuring astounding architecture that today houses galleries, shops, artist studios and cafes.
We are also home to the Waitaki wine district, the country’s newest, producing some of the finest Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in New Zealand, and winning awards wherever they are tasted.
Oamaru is one of New Zealand’s true gems, offering everything visitors expect from New Zealand in one handy spot. Whether it’s wildlife, natural scenery, culture, history, fishing or wine and gastronomy, Oamaru and the surrounding Waitaki District have it all.
As a candidate for designation as UNESCO’s first Global Geopark in Australasia, we offer stunning landscapes that are truly unique in the world.
Come see for yourself what makes the wild, wonderful Waitaki New Zealand’s hidden wonder.