Oamaru and Timaru

On our next to last day in NZ, we drove from Twizel over to the coast as part of our route back to Christchurch. We were staying in Timaru for the night, but our airbnb host had recommended that we drive down south a little bit first and visit the city of Oamaru. So we did that!

On our way to Oamaru, we took our time and drove along the canals and lakes that make up the hydroelectric scheme in the southern island. We saw several dams and lots and lots of water.

Dam  #1 

Dam #2

And of course passed through lots of cute little towns.

Just another highway view in New Zealand!

Oamaru turned out to be really fun and different from any place we'd seen in New Zealand. It used to be a thriving port city, but the port isn't really used much at all these days. However, the area around the port is called the Victoria Precinct, and the city has put a ton of work into reviving the buildings and putting in shops to bring some tourists down to the area. It worked for us and we spent a few hours walking around the shops and around the harbour.

Everyone was excited to explore Oamaru

The old rail yards by the port

A street in the Victorian Precinct

The shoreline at Oamaru

One of my favorite discoveries in Oamaru was this adult-sized playground! There was definitely some play equipment that little people could use if they are brave, but everything seems to be pretty targeted for grownups. And it was a blast! The zipline was probably the family favorite!

The playground and some sculptures in the foreground

The swingset

But there was also a pretty big slide coming down from the climbing tower.

And a giant hamster wheel for hurting yourself in!

Aside from playing on equipment, we also had a good time outside the Steampunk Headquarters museum. You could put a gold coin in to some of the exhibits for them to light up, shoot fire or steam out, or generally move around in a steampunk-y way.

After some shopping and a lunch to power us up, we headed north to our night's destination of Timaru. Timaru is another port city, but unlike Oamaru, the port in Timaru is still going strong. We could see it from our hotel.

The port at Timaru

The hotel claims that the Queen has stayed there twice. And while it's cute and quaint from the outside, I'm pretty sure the Queen didn't stay in our room when she visited. It was still plenty rustic!

Our hotel for the night

Timaru has a giant park leading down to the beach. There was a fountain, rose garden, and nice big sidewalks. It was so big, it probably took us 10 minutes to walk across it.

Exploring Timaru

The rose garden

While we were down at the beach, we scoped out the spot we wanted to come back and visit at night. Someone had told us that we could watch the Little Penguins come in at night, and sure enough, we came across a sign that told us we'd found the place!

Boardwalk over to the penguin area & the port

Yay! Penguins about!

The penguins nest in these little rocks along the water, which also happens to be right next to the busy port. That doesn't seem like the most homey place to raise a penguin chick, but the colony is growing so I guess it works for them!

After a dinner at the hotel pub, we waited for the sun to go down and then headed back out to try and spot some penguins. There were probably 20-30 other people that gradually showed up to watch, as well as a few local volunteers that were about just to make sure all was well. And sure enough, we got to see probably six or seven of the little guys! It was quite dark, so my pictures aren't too good. But it was such a fun, unplanned addition to our trip!