Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Livingstone-Duntroon Rd)
Sheltered by an impressive limestone overhang, this site con-
tains charcoal-and-ochre paintings dating to before the arrival of Europeans in NZ. Head
east from Duntroon and take the first right after crossing the Maerewhenua River; the site
is on the left after about 400m.
FILM LOCATION
Elephant Rocks
Sculpted by wind, rain and rivers, the huge limestone boulders of this bizarre landscape
were utilised as Aslan's Camp in the NZ-filmed
Narnia
series (2005). They're located on
farmland about 5.5km south of the highway; follow the signs after crossing the Maere-
whenua River.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Oamaru
POP 12,900
Nothing moves very fast in Oamaru. Tourists saunter, locals linger and penguins waddle.
Even oft-celebrated heritage modes of transport - penny farthings and steam trains - re-
flect an unhurried pace. Most travellers come here for the penguins, but hang around and
you'll sense the wellspring of eccentricity bubbling under the surface. Put simply, this is
New Zealand's coolest town.
Down by the water, a neighbourhood of once-neglected Victorian buildings now
swarms with oddballs, antiquarians and bohemians of all stripes, who run offbeat galler-
ies, fascinating shops, hip venues and even an 'urban winery'. Most visible are the Steam-
punks, their aesthetic boldly celebrating the past and the future with an ethos of 'tomor-
row as it used to be'. What Oamaru used to be was rich and ambitious. In its 1880s hey-
day, Oamaru was about the same size as Los Angeles was at the time. Refrigerated meat-
shipping had its origins nearby and the town became wealthy enough to build the impos-
ing buildings that grace Thames St today. However, the town overreached itself and spent
the end of the 19th century teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.
Economic decline in the 20th century meant that there wasn't the impetus to swing the
wrecking ball with the same reckless abandon that wiped out much of the built heritage of
NZ's main centres. It's only in recent decades that canny creative types have cottoned on
to the uniqueness of Oamaru's surviving Victorian streetscapes and have started to unlock
this otherwise unremarkable town's potential for extreme kookiness.
