After wandering through Dunedin's smashing public gardens, viewing New Zealand fur seals up close on an almost deserted headland, then scampering among the Moeraki Boulders, Steven and I finally reached Ōamaru, the town 90 minutes north of Dunedin that some people describe as the country's best-kept secret! Though many visitors come for the famous Blue Penguin Colony, the town of about 14,000 is also well known as the country's, and possibly the world's, premier steampunk destination! Add in the stunning Victorian precinct, possibly the most photogenic urban location in all of New Zealand, and you know why we came.
Call us hopelessly ignorant or just old, but Steven and I knew nothing about steampunk before descending on Steampunk HQ, located at the entrance of the Ōamaru Heritage Precinct. I had to look it up to learn that it meant a "subgenre of science fiction and fantasy featuring retro-futuristic technology inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machinery." Wikipedia further defined it as merging "historical Victorian or Wild West aesthetics with fantastical, advanced inventions, often characterized by brass, clockwork gears, copper pipes, and a 'do-it-yourself' rebellion against modern norms!"
The steampunk operation was housed within the majestic 1883 Meeks Grain Store, a grand limestone building in the Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark.
The entrance was guarded by a menacing missile-clad steam train that looked poised to launch into space. When we popped coins into different slots, metal heads gyrated, and smoke and flames billowed out in a scary yet fun way! Too bad none of our grandchildren were with Granny and Grandpa, as the older ones would have loved it.
So much was going on, we didn't know where to turn next!
Though we didn't have time to enter Steampunk HQ, and aren't sci-fi geeks anyway, I read that their unusual steam-powered devices were similar to those described in the writings of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and in TV shows such as Dr. Who.
At the corner stood the historic Criterion Hotel, established in 1872. The elegant Italianate façade was constructed from local limestone. After prohibition closed its doors, it became a boarding house before it was purchased by a local foundry for storage. Once it was restored, it reopened as a hotel in 1998.
In the middle of the next block were union offices in the Connell and Clowes building, which dated to 1877.
Sadly, too many of the buildings had empty or closed storefronts. I hope they will soon find new tenants to bring life back to this charming area.
It was rather humorous that this building was called Whitestone City, as all the precinct's buildings were made from white limestone.
The historic Neill Brothers' Store, constructed in 1882, was used for grain storage and could hold 40,000 sacks. Wooden turnstiles allowed rail access into the building.
I remember thinking that the car looked so out of place in the period set.
The former Customs House now has a new lease on life, serving as the premises for the North Otago Art Society.
Though it stood a few steps from the historic precinct, St Luke's Anglican Church was also known for its limestone construction. The church was built in stages, beginning in 1866, with major additions completed in 1913. I wonder if my mum, a lifelong Anglican, also visited Ōamaru when she and my father stayed in Dunedin about three decades ago.
When the Oamaru War Memorial was inaugurated in 1926, it was dedicated to those who served in World War I. Its inscription was from a Rudyard Kipling poem: "From little towns in a far land we came, To save our honour and a world aflame".
The former Post Office had been converted into the Waitaki District Council building.
If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in Ōamaru, make sure you stop for a bite at the excellent Star and Garter Restaurant for a delicious home-cooked meal. We enjoyed a mouth-watering roast pork dinner with more vegetables than I'd ever seen grace a dinner plate before at Ōamaru's oldest cafe!
As we had throughout the South Island, we lucked out at the Ōamaru accommodation we'd chosen on booking.com. Highlands on Homestead, our home away from home, was located several miles outside the city on a large working farm. It was named for its Highland cattle.
As we made our way shortly before sunset to the Blue Penguin Colony, we passed the town's Sumpter Wharf, which had been taken over by a large colony of shags, aka cormorants. The disused wharf had become a permanent roosting and breeding site for both Otago shags and spotted shags.
As we continued strolling along the Ōamaru Heritage Port area, we learned that when work began in 1872 to construct the Ōamaru Harbour Breakwater, the town was fortunate to have a ready supply of rock at the base of the proposed structure. When construction of the seawall continued in 1936, blasting provided an event for the local population, who turned out in great numbers to witness the often spectacular explosions and flying rocks.
Since 1956, there has been little use of the harbour quarry rock, so concrete cubes and imported rock have been used for breakwater repairs. The quarry's final blast was in 1966, when 60,000 tons of rock were brought down to try and achieve a safer face on the by-then abandoned quarry.
Though the sea wall was likely the costliest structure in this part of New Zealand's South Island, the need to tame the sea and create a calm-water port was critical. Construction of the breakwater to its full length of 1,850 feet wasn't completed until 1884. It was done with Moa, the world's first large-capacity, full-slewing, rail-mounted steam crane. I found it odd that imperial sizes in the Harbour Heritage area were listed in every case, not metric, even though the country uses the metric system.
When the Macandrew Wharf was officially opened in 1875, it could accommodate commercial shipping.
Adjacent to the breakwater was the Quarry Siding, so ships could offload their contents directly into waiting rail cars for shipment throughout the country.
Like many similar huts in Ōamaru's developing port during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Ōamaru Harbor Watchman's Hut was relocated several times to accommodate the harbor's expansion needs.
The shed gained its 15 minutes of world fame in February of 1913 when the Harbour Board's night watchman observed an unidentified ship beyond the harbour. When two British Royal Navy officers were escorted from the ship to the nearby watchman's hut, Ōamaru was the first point of contact with the outside world concerning the fate of Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Expedition ship Terra Nova.
When the Robert & Betsy ship ran aground in 1862, its foremast was later recovered and erected as a signal station. The port's boundary was defined in 1866 as a three-mile radius from the mast and an octagonal hut. In 1946, radio communication replaced flag signals. The mast remained a local landmark for years.
Little penguins are one of just four species of penguins that are able to double-breed, meaning they can breed twice in one year. When chicks hatch, they weigh just 45 grams, but they grow to about one kilo in only five weeks. Parents take turns guarding the burrow in the first few weeks while the other hunts. When the chicks are older, the parents will head to sea each day, returning each night to feed them.
Once little penguins find a mate, they are normally monogamous, staying together for life, though the occasional penguin 'divorce' does happen! When pairs reunite, they recognize each other by their unique braying call.
Some penguins wear a data tagger that lets scientists know what they're getting up to in the ocean. Male penguins are typically a little larger and have thicker bills. If you see a penguin looking a little scruffy, it's because it's molting, a process that normally occurs in March and April.
The coloring of little blue penguins varies among the penguins, where they are in their annual cycle, and where they live. Little penguins in this area of the South Island have some of the palest shades of blue.
I was surprised to read that about 383 man-made burrows have been installed at the blue penguin colony because research has shown that penguins living in these boxes have greater breeding success than in their natural nests.
The penguins have been monitored since 1993, a process that includes visiting the burrows each week to record key details, such as which burrows they live in and their breeding status. As a result, comprehensive records have been kept about nearly every penguin that has lived in the colony. This helps the scientists understand the penguins' breeding success and survival, especially in response to environmental changes.
The monitoring program also ensured that tourists weren't negatively affecting the penguins during the nightly show. This was achieved by observing no differences when comparing data with control sites.
Shortly before the little blue penguins started moving ashore in front of our eyes, Katy, the guide, announced that they would come in waves, first swimming to reach the rocks to our right, then moving across the sandy area, before waddling awkwardly up the small hill to reach the grass between people in the General Admission seats on the other side and us in the Premium VIewing seats We saw many more fur seals, also making the same contortions, as they lumbered up the mostly vertical rocks. At no point were the seals aggressive toward the penguins. Photos courtesy of Blue Penguin Colony:
Katy had warned us to be as quiet as possible as the penguins approached, so as not to spook them. She also stated that she was responsible for keeping track of how many penguins came ashore that night. That couldn't have been an easy feat when they moved ashore in large numbers simultaneously! She told us later that she has counted 175, which was about average.
I was only able to take this one, very blurry shot of a wave of about 15 penguins making their way to the nest boxes. It was fascinating to observe the penguins' behavior, as some appeared dominant and led the way, with a few brave penguins following. Then masses of others, seeming to understand that their way was safe, would scurry across the expanse of grass to the line of nest boxes we could see on our left.
As we left, we were thrilled to spot some of the penguins in the nesting areas.
Once in the parking lot, there were about a dozen penguins that must have lost their way after crossing the grass. We'd been advised earlier by Katy that drivers should slow down and drive around penguins. Although it seemed counterintuitive, stopping wasn't recommended because the penguins scare easily and they might stay put under the car.
Although seeing the penguins up close wasn't the highlight of our South Island adventures, it certainly ranked way up there, as we'd not seen any other penguins all trip!
Posted on July 13th, 2026, from our home in Denver's suburb of Littleton, as we're all melting from the excessive heat. Our lawns are burning up, becoming more patches of brown than green due to stringent water restrictions. I wonder how long it will be before many homeowners in our area, ourselves included, switch to xeriscaping with arid plants in lieu of water-loving grass in this increasingly dry climate where water is a scarce resource. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
