‘There is no such thing as being too weird’: Welcome to Ōamaru, New Zealand’s quirkiest town
Sunday, 12 January 2025
“You’ll never be the weirdest person in Ōamaru.” It’s quite a claim from local artist Martin Horspool but it certainly seems to sum up this Waitaki town that marches to the beat of its own drum.
Part farming community, part quirky creative hotbed, Ōamaru is the rural centre that embraces everything from the stoic to the strange.
From the imposing limestone architecture of the buildings along Thames Street, down to the tourist hotbed of the Victorian Precinct, Ōamaru is a town proud to showcase the past while embracing the now and the quasi-future.
It’s famously the ‘steampunk capital of the world’ where adult imagination runs riot, mashing a bygone Victorian era with retro-futuristic sci-fi. It’s home to the Steampunk HQ, a playground to originality and the bizarre. Founded in 2011, this converted grain elevator is now an interactive museum showcasing all the creative juices that go into this art form.
It sits as part of the Victorian Precinct, an area that has gone from dilapidated to desired. Galleries mix with shops, cafes and bars and you’ll probably witness the odd steam train and racing penny-farthings.
Steampunk fanatic Purple Taylor can be seen in her Studio Realm on Harbour Street concocting all sorts of weird and wonderful items.
She said the town has a “great community” and is “charmingly old fashioned”: “People get together often for the good life. Artisans are known for upcycling, recycling and inventing with what inspires them. So these good old ingredients in a historical environment and an overly ornate Victorian influence, to my mind, is a perfect compliment for steampunk and creative ingenuity.”
Asked why the town is such a hotbed of imagination she joked: “Like attracts like, we’re contagious!”
Across the road from her is another gifted artist.
Horspool is ‘The Robot Man’, hand-building quirky robots and artwork from recycled vintage metal. He and his partner made the move south from Auckland following a post-Covid lockdown visit: “Wendy and I were sitting on a bench on Harbour Street and she said, ‘I think we should live here’. I said, ‘OK let’s do it’.”
He said it wasn’t easy at first, “but with the help of the Ōamaru Whitestone Civic Trust who lease out the amazing historic precinct, we were fortunate to have the right ‘fit’ to set up the Buggyrobot Gallery in 2022. They have rules about what you can set up in the historic precinct, so a vintage-style sculpture and art emporium with the artist in residence making his art on site was the tempting acquisition we offered them.”
He admits Ōamaru is a town of “two halves”: “Many locals love the historic precinct with its quirky galleries and bars, but on the flip side some locals never venture into the old town apart from when they have friends and family staying and have to do a ‘grand tour’.”
He is “absolutely 100% sure” Ōamaru is NZ's quirkiest town: “I think the new hashtag should be #NOT-JUST-PENGUINS.”
Speaking of which, you can’t talk about the town without mentioning the other main residents who call this home.
Each evening, hundreds of the world’s smallest penguins come ashore, aiming for the Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony. Visitors can take prime seats to watch the tiny aquatic birds waddle up the rocks from the sea, sauntering past bored looking seals, before darting into their enclosure. Some take a longer route and end up around the town’s shoreline much to the delight of visitors and locals. Just remember to give them some space.
It’s just another unusual interaction in a rural town full of charm and character. A place where the quirk meets the squawk.
Details
Steampunk HQ, 1 Humber Street. Adults $15, under-16s $5, steampunkoamaru.co.nz
Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony, 17 Waterfront Road. Evening viewing: adults $45, children (5-17 years) $28, penguins.co.nz
Buggyrobot Gallery, 6a Harbour St, buggyrobot.com
Miss Purple’s Studio Realm, 9 Harbour Street
Staying there
Poshtel, 126 Thames Street. Each of the 16 rooms in this boutique hotel has been tastefully curated to create a distinct look and feel. It’s situated in a prime location close to all the action. Standard rooms start at $225. More details at poshtelnz.com
Dining there
The Criterion (3 Tyne Street), is a handsome UK-style pub sitting proudly in the Victorian Precinct, serving classics like prawn cocktail and giant chicken schnitzels. criterionoamaru.co.nz
The author was hosted by Air New Zealand and the Southern Way (southernway.nz) as part of a fly-drive-fly trip from Dunedin to Queenstown.
How to book a multi-stop trip
Begin your Southern Way adventure by flying into one of three southern airports - Queenstown, Dunedin, or Invercargill. Pick up your rental car, and set off on your road trip. When it’s time to head home, simply fly out of a different airport.
To book your multi-stop itinerary on the Air New Zealand website (airnewzealand.co.nz), click the “Book a multi-stop trip” button when entering your destinations, then select “Domestic multi-stop”. This option makes it simple to fly in to one destination and depart from another.