Oamaru is amazing. It was a major port town back in the 1870s (they are very proud of the fact that at the time, they were bigger than LA!), and so it has a very large and preserved Victorian District. The District- and what we've seen of the town itself- is extremely creative and bookish. It's also very old fashioned, in a way- used books are more prevalent then new, and there is a (real, awesome, amazing) bookbinder and even an amazing model train. We picked up a booklet of classes offered this summer in Sustainable Skills, like making bread and cheese, keeping chickens and cows, knitting, leather crafting, and using renewable energy, etc. Generally this follows the “can-do” attitude of all New Zealanders, but it seems particularly predominant here.
I've counted 5 used bookstores so far, which is huge for a town of this size. Many other stores will sell books too. There are really interesting galleries and local artists everywhere. There are cafes every second shop. It's actual heaven and if our plans for Wanaka don't work out, I'll definitely want to come back here to work for the summer!
The other thing Oamaru is known for is Little Blue Penguins. They head out to sea in the morning, and come on shore at night to go back to the their colony,
Noemie, Martin, Kara and I have been staying at an adorable backpackers called the Empire Hotel Backpackers. They're so friendly here, and while you can pay lots of money to see the Little Blue Penguin colony, the staff at the hostel told us exactly where you can go to see them for free.
Which we did on our first night!
We've spent the morning of our second day in Oamaru, which was the 31st, visiting a cheese shop and shopping around the Victorian District. Then, the glorious angel Noemie made batter for crepes for our New Years Dinner (!!!).
Oamaru is also known for being the Steampunk Capital of the World. For those not in the known, Steampunk imagines an alternate future where technology advanced in a way that was still Victorian and, primarily, steam-powered. It harkens back to authors like Jules Verne, who imagined the future with the technology of the time. Oamaru is home to an amazing building called Steampunk HQ, which is basically a Steampunk Museum that has a really cool infinity room and a playground in the back! (Also, a really, really nice woman who gave us the family rate instead of asking us to pay individually. New Zealanders are SO. NICE.) We had some FUN.
The Hobbit! What an experience. I remember so vividly being mesmerized the first time I saw The Fellowship of the Ring, and I certainly never could have imagined that I'd get the chance to visit New Zealand let alone do what I'm doing now. And now, to see the last Middle-Earth movie while here... it was very emotional. (And the movie was great too. The end, ugh. UGH.)
(As it turns out, the husband of Mandy, who runs the backpackers, played the Village Idiot in Laketown in the Hobbit! They do say that just about every New Zealander was in these movies, but we hadn't actually met anyone until now. We'll have to see it again to try to find him.)
And now it's 2015!! I think it's going to be a really magnificent year. 2015 feels like the FUTURE. Where is my past self who was so excited by 2000??
The next morning Noemie and Martin hitchhiked off to go tramping near Wanaka, and Kara and I spent the morning doing errands and catching up on some things. In the afternoon, we went to visit the yellow-eyed penguins and see the Moeraki Boulders.
Yellow-eyed penguins are one of the rarest types of penguins (New Zealand is really an amazing place to see rare animals!). There are only about 4000 alive, and there are no other species of penguin in their genus. They are apparently one of the most ancient types of penguins! There is a lighthouse on the coast that is home to a yellow-eyed penguin sanctuary- it's there because a couple started planting native plants to make it an appealing and safe place, and they turned their home into a hospital for sick and injured birds. People aren't allowed in the sanctuary, but you can see the penguins if you go to a hide down by the beach or if you walk along a track that goes around the fence.
When we were there, there were a bunch of penguins that had gone through the fence and were just hanging out! Fortunately, people were being very respectful. We got some great photos and videos.
The next morning we woke up, did some emails and planning, and headed for a short but beautiful walk in the Oamaru Public Gardens. And then off to Dunedin!