Steampunk, whitestone, art & geopark beauty in a striking region.
A silver ring that opens to navigate its wearer across the universe, a steam-powered beer tankard and 80 million years of history have put Ōamaru and the Waitaki district on the global map – and so have stunning landscapes, unique wildlife and fascinating human stories.
The region, which runs from Lake Ōhau in the Southern Alps, along the Waitaki River valley to the Pacific Ocean at Ōamaru and south to Palmerston, is a year-round arts, food and wine, recreation and festival playground.
Helen Jansen is well placed to explain: she and partner Iain Clark, a jeweller who created her Star Navigator ring and the beer mug, parented the now internationally famous Steampunk NZ Festival and she chaired the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust as it oversaw the designation of Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023.
Ōamaru is famous for its Victorian quarter of perfectly preserved whitestone buildings; Jansen says that was an inspiration for the Steampunk connection.
“It all fell out of the Victorian Heritage celebration around 2008 and the quirkiness of the Victorians. We discovered this new science-fiction genre with the idea of an alternative future that started in that era and relied on its technology – so, steam engines. And what happened if you made them micro? Or if you could put a city on wheels?
“It inspired us to create an exhibition which would complement the Victorian Heritage celebration in 2009. It was a huge success, so we made a fashion show and ball in the following year to help boost economic development of the historic part of town.
“TV turned up to film it for an arts programme. It was packed, people had come from Christchurch and Dunedin and they were dressed up in Victorian fashion. Later Weta Workshop asked us, ‘Where do you see this going?’ I said: We’re going to be the Steampunk Capital of the World.”
Fast-backward to 2024, and she was right. Thousands have travelled to Ōamaru in the past, some from the US, Italy, India and Australia as well as New Zealand for the annual King’s Birthday Weekend festival, to dress up and play with the theme. This year, (Thursday May 30-Monday June 3) the theme is Botanical Mechanical - mechanical blooms, adventurers’ quests for rare botanical specimens, steam-powered devices to capture botanical treasures.
Also on that weekend, more than 40 artists around the district will open their doors for the inaugural Waitaki Arts Trail. Artist Beth Strickland, one of the organisers, says the free event is based around a self-drive loop with 22 venues open to the public.
Participants include goldsmiths, photographers, and established artists alongside emerging practitioners like sustainability-focused seaweed art.
Founders hope it will expand to performing artists, light shows, gardens, attracting visitors and showcasing the region. A second edition will be held in October.
Some might think that not having an airport in the region would discourage tourism but canny Ōamaruvians have turned that to their advantage, with self-drive routes on regional apps encouraging visitors to slow-travel around, staying in boutique accommodation from charming B&Bs to elegant homesteads.
Many routes trace the extraordinary landscape of the UNESCO Global Geopark, celebrated as a place of international geological significance which intersects with a rich fabric of human history.
It covers 7200sq km, its history dating back over 80 million years when the continent of Te Riu-a-Māui Zealandia slowly separated from the ancient continent of Gondwana. Over millions of years, it sank almost completely below the sea before re-emerging with geological features like the Moeraki Boulders, Elephant Rocks, the dramatic Clay Cliffs and “recently” the Southern Alps.
Wildlife thrived during those 80m years: plesiosaurs from Gondwana, shark-toothed dolphins, giant moa, Haast’s eagle with its 3m wingspan, and the 1.3m-tall Kairuku penguins. Humans arrived over 700 years ago, creating one of the largest ancient Māori settlements at the Waitaki River mouth. Later, goldminers, wheat and meat farmers settled and the port sprang up at Ōamaru.
In 2000, Duntroon locals (with help from Otago University’s Geology Department) established the Vanished World Fossil Centre as an attraction and the Vanished World Trail of sites throughout the Waitaki. In 2018 The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust was established to begin seeking UNESCO recognition.
Among 30 fascinating locations is Takiroa Rock Art Shelter, containing several pieces of Māori rock art dating between 1400 and 1900 made from ochre, bird fat, and charcoal. Some have been interpreted as people and animals or birds; others depict European settlers, horses and ships.
For Jansen, the geopark has been pivotal to reconnecting Māori and Pākehā history, traditions and lifestyles. “It’s been an opportunity to develop a positive relationship in meaningful ways and to work very closely together to promote the district and Māoritanga.”
She sees a mash-up between Steampunk and geopark philosophies: “Both have a respect for what has been and what is to come. How do you look after what you’ve got? How do you repurpose those things and evolve and become creative, while being very aware of your environment, how you interact with it and being respectful of it.”
There’s much more for visitors, particularly families. For an active holiday, there are mountains to climb or tramp; lakes, rivers and oceans to swim or to enjoy water sports; great surf beaches; and peerless fishing for fly-fishers, surfcasters and big-game hunters.
The 316km Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is Aotearoa’s longest, often described as the jewel in the crown of our 23 Great Rides, pedalled from Aoraki Mt Cook, past the lakes and rivers to Ōamaru harbour.
As well as its Victorian streetscape, with artists and cafes occupying many buildings, Ōamaru has unique year-round attractions – Steampunk HQ and Whitestone City, both family-friendly interactive experiences. Less hands-on but wildly popular are the little blue penguins at their colony in (where else?) Friendly Bay.
The district has any number of artisan producers and restaurants – think Whitestone, think cheese; salmon from braided rivers; The Ōamaruvian premium whisky.
Don’t worry you’ll miss out on the action if you’re not an Olympic athlete, Jansen says. It’s not cheating to ride an e-bike on the cycle route and you don’t need to climb a mountain – there are plenty of leisurely walking trails in the countryside. Or you could find yourself a Star Navigator ring.
For more information visit waitakinz.com