Big is good in Oamaru, from vast skies and enormous limestone valleys chiselled by flat grey rivers, to views so surreal they look as though they’ve been painted. The B-side to this gobsmacking scenery is a chocolate-box town that’s big on charm and character. Here’s how to do a weekend in Oamaru.
FRIDAY
2.00pm Nothing quickens the pulse quite like a jet boat experience. Head to Glenavy where Braided River Jet Boating will whisk you to the Waitaki Dam and then downstream to dart in and out of the Waitaki River’s lower braided channels. If you’re lucky, you might spot some rare and endangered river-nesting birds such as the black-fronted tern or the wrybill plover.
Formerly St Stephens Anglican Church, this conversion in Waitaki has created a contemporary, light-filled designer home.
Church “conversions” are not known for their light, bright interiors – most usually, exposed timber ceilings and rafters and minimal windows give them a dark, ecclesiastic feel. But the former St Stephens Anglican church in Hampden, Waitaki is nothing like that. The current owners, who bought the church in 2015, have completely transformed the interior to create a light, cheerful home that still retains its traditional character. The interior, which has only just been finished, features white-painted timbers and rafters.
TALL POPPY
The traditional character remains, but the former St Stephens Anglican Church in Hampden, Waitaki has undergone a thoroughly modern conversion.