Oamaru Activities

New Zealand Oamaru Activities - What to See & Do. If you are looking for comprehensive travel information for Oamaru Activities including Aquatic Centre, Boat Tour, Cultural, Eco Tourism, Eco-Tour, Family Activity, Historic, Marine Mammal Encounters, Museum, Other Activities, Sculptures/Greenstone carving, Shopping Tour, Thermal Pool, Wildlife Tours and Wine/Brewery Tour, you will find it here on AA Travel.

If you come to Oamaru looking for fun, excitement or a dose of adrenalin, you certainly won't leave disappointed. There's bound to be aquatic, family or thrilling activities either here or not too far away, from marine mammal encounters and eco-tourism adventures to cruises and jet-boat rides. New Zealand is the 'Adventure Capital of the World', so adrenalin-pumping action is found all over the country. Jet boating and white-water rafting are exhilarating ways to check out the country's crystal-clear rivers and magic scenery. If you would rather stay dry then there's a myriad of land and air-based activities on offer too. The brave can try bungy jumping, the slightly less courageous can enjoy a tandem hang-glide or parapent, or for the ultimate thrill there is the free-fall skydive. Plus, abseiling or exploring the captivating cave systems that riddle both the North and South Islands should definitely be on your to-do list.

Oamaru: Oamaru is the district's main centre and is renowned for its attractive townscape and gardens, intact Victorian precinct and harbour, neoclassical stone buildings, and the most accessible daily contact with penguins anywhere in the country. Oamaru has the largest collection of protected heritage buildings in New Zealand. They were designed by the finest architects of their time and crafted from the local limestone now known worldwide as Oamaru Stone. The harbour, reputed to be the only intact Victorian harbour in New Zealand, is home not only to an old curved wooden wharf and an assortment of traditional craftspeople, but hundreds of blue penguins that waddle ashore every night just after dark. The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, a natural nesting area for the world's smallest penguin species, has been enhanced by a dedicated team of volunteers and is now an international drawcard. Grandstand seating enables visitors to get a close look at these engaging birds every night of the year. A 30-minute walk away is another penguin colony at Bushy Beach. This is the northern-most place where the rare yellow-eyed penguin is known to nest and breed successfully. Visitors can watch them come ashore each evening.