We decided to stop in Oamaru for a week for Christmas - another extended stay. This time, we holed-up on a 100 acre sheep and grain farm belonging to a very kind kiwi family who graciously let us explore what life is like for them in the South Island.
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| Going bonkers for the Moeraki boulders |
The thing about hosts that have kids is that they get what it's like to travel... with kids. They invited us to a BBQ and made us feel right at home. The kids got to know each other, music was played, wine was consumed, delicious food was eaten and fun was had by all!
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| Apres-supper in the caravan - great people and... a zany picture to commemorate the evening! |
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| Our neighbourhood |
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| Oamaru's public gardens - very pretty - we got a city permit to busk here... not busy enough! |
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| Somebody learned to make Chai lattes :) |
The kids spent their days playing basketball, jumping on a trampoline, feeding and tending to chickens, sightseeing, learning at school, playing with new friends, busking downtown, playing board games, reading and, most importantly, prepping for Christmas.
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| Parker and his buddy, S, built "Santa's sleigh" before Christmas... |
If it sounds pretty domestic, that's probably because it was! We're headed into a leg of travel with a lot of bouncing around, so this is the calm before the proverbial storm.
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| The kids with some of the 'lovely ladies' |
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| Sheep!! |
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| Basketball, by the hour! |
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| Enjoying some Christmas downtime - thanks a ton to our hosts for setting up a Christmas tree for us to enjoy! |
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| Catching up on piano |
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| Downtown Oamaru - in the Whitestone district |
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| A cold day in Oamaru - quaint and quiet |
Busking in Oamaru
The kids have been enjoying having music back in their lives. Our hosts' house had a piano and its owners kindly lent us their cajon, ukulele, bells, maracas and guitar - so generous!
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| Christmas busking - Feliz Navidad - checkout our sign! |
The kids decided to busk downtown - I had looked into this before the trip even started - fully expecting Chelsea to need a place to perform to keep up and motivate her singing... it worked out beautifully. The kids learned the value of a smile, manners, eye contact and a handshake when I took them in to ask the proprietor of the store and cafe for permission to perform out front.
Nathan and Parker played percussion and sang while Chelsea played the uke and sang. I even got to debut a song I wrote in Akaroa. We often attracted a small crowd - way to go kids! My philosophy is that you have to give a piece of yourself to the world if you want the world to give you back anything - or more succinctly:
nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Sure enough, a family from France caught our performance and chatted Cheryl up... resulting in an invite to come and visit them when we're around Paris - lucky us!
Passers by made a some financial contributions... the kids were jazzed that by mustering a little courage and sharing their talents, they were able to spread some Christmas cheer and get rewarded for it... oh, the life lessons - every moment is a learning moment!
Moeraki Boulders
The Moeraki boulders are just that - a set of boulders on a beach in the town of Moeraki. These boulders were, apparently, "
concretions created by the cementation of the Paleocene mudstone of the Moeraki Formation"
In other words, they're cool spherical rocks that have been revealed as the ocean slowly erodes the land behind the beach. They are other-worldly and very photogenic - they kinda resemble the alien pods from the
80's movie Cocoon.
Anyway, tourists love 'em and it's no wonder why - here are just a few pics from our visit. We kicked around for about an hour taking in the sights and people-watching.
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| The Boulders... |
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| Closer... |
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| Having fun... so photogenic - the kids are nice too ;) |
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| Perspective |
All told, since these rock formations are so gorgeous, they're worth a stop... they'd be extra special if it weren't for the tour buses that arrive spilling folks down onto the beach :) A good time to visit appears to be sunset - fewer people, amazing lighting, great photography.
Oamaru's Seals
You won't read much about Oamaru's resident seals... maybe because they reek... maybe because they're a common feature on NZ waterfronts... or maybe, in this case, because the local penguins are a more lucrative attraction. In any case, I met a few on another accidental 18km run down to the harbour, and boy were they fun to hang out with!
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| The harbour - gorgeous! |
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| The harbour's odiferous inhabitants |
Steampunk
Ok, I promised a blurb about steampunk. Imagine a present where electricity had not been discovered or harnessed and that steam power ruled the world - that's steam punk. It manifests itself in costumes worn at enthusiasts ' gatherings - think comicon meets back to the future.
Oamaru touts itself as the steampunk capital of NZ.
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| We saw some steampunk outfits being worn but didn't snap any pictures... here's an example from the web |
Look it up online if you're keen!
The video chats, emails, WhatsApps and comments here on the blog have been overwhelming and superb - thanks to all who've connected with us for 'bringing us home' this Christmas!
Happy holidays - hope you're enjoying a wonderful festive season!
Great pics, love the surf and the kids and the long pier. Seems Oamaru is twinned with the town of Devizes in Wiltshire, UK. Didn't realize about the spherical rocks or the steampunk HQ. Seems like a cool combination. Cool about the busking, way to go family!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thank you again for the Devizes reference - we'll check it out! Steampunk, seals, penguins and rocks - a motley crew that makes for a great mashup... culture & nature all in one place ;)
DeleteHey team ! We are loving reading up on some of your adventures and loved hanging out with you guys in Oamaru, it was a highlight of our christmas period and we wished it wasn't such a busy time of year so we could have spent more time hanging out with you all ! Best wishes for the rest of your trip and hope to see you again in Oamaru some time...or Canada ! Happy Blogging ! Keep in Touch ! The Perry's. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi guys! We had a blast in Oamaru, thanks in no small part to the friends we made and the incredible country that is New Zealand. Absolutely - we'd love to see you in Canada!!! Keep in touch!
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