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Penguins and Steampunk
Oamaru, new zealand
TLDR: Go to Oamaru for the Penguins, but make sure you visit the steampunk museum!
The Penguins
We arrived in Oamaru close to sunset, having travelled from Christchurch in a continuous downpour. The only place we stopped on the way down was a McDonalds to test out the New Zealand menu for gluten free options – sadly, a bit disappointing.
We checked in at our first ever campervan park, and pulling on coats, dashed out to make sure we didn’t miss the penguins. There is a paid centre where you can watch from, but we followed the local blogs and reviews, and waited at the side of the road around 100m away. Fortunately, we quickly met a local “penguin volunteer”, who assured us we were in a good place.
One by one, they emerged.
A tiny little head bobbed through the sea, and made its way towards the boat ramp, quickly sneaking behind the keel of a dry-docked yacht. Another quickly joined it, and another. Slowly, penguins gathered in crevices, crannies, and nooks, steadily making their way up the bank bit by bit in the still driving rain.
Wishing we’d worn our waterproof trousers, but fascinated, we looked on.
A group suddenly made a dash towards the road, and the “penguin volunteer” sprang into action, pausing cars and allowing the penguins to make their way safely towards the cliffs.
A couple of hours later, soaked from the waist down, we squelched our way back to the campground, still buzzed from having seen so many wild penguins.
Keeping the penguins safe
If you stay near to the penguin spots, be sure to watch/listen out for penguins around and about in your campground. Also, be careful whilst driving near the coast at dusk/dawn/in the dark. In particular, be careful with torchlight – Jas also “flashed a penguin” with her headtorch on the way to the bathroom.
For more information, see the DOC website here
Oamaru
Come the morning, we experienced some of the downsides of renting a small campervan in wet conditions – we had very little space to dry things! We spread out our wettest of belongings in the kitchen whilst we made breakfast, and tried to work-out how best to spend most of the day in Oamaru.
Whilst doing so, we heard bag-pipes in the distance.
It turned out we’d arrived in Oamaru on the weekend of the Victorian Festival. The streets were filled with people in Victorian clothes, with a highland band playing among the famous old limestone buildings.
Steampunk HQ
The steampunk museum was a particular highlight. It’s not hard to miss, with giant metallic bugs clinging to its walls, and a full sized train engine steaming up a ramp outside. We did know what to expect, but we bit the bullet and paid the entry fee, and I’m so glad we did!
It’s an absolutely mad combination of art, science fiction, and beauty. Everywhere you look there a special little details, hidden spaces to explore, as well as massive centre-pieces. We would highly recommend the steampunk museum!
We’ve decided not to share many of the photos in order not to ruin the surprise you’ll get from seeing this in the flesh; trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
The steampunk train
The lightbox
Some giant flies
Steampunk HQ from a distance
The door guardian
Visiting the garden next door