Oamaru

Two hours north of Dunedin is Oamaru, a harbour town, famous for its Victorian architecture.

I only intended to be here one night but ended up staying for four because it’s so relaxed and pleasant to walk around.

Oamaru has a “Steampunk HQ” full of steampunk-inspired sculptures made from bits and pieces of recycled machinery.

I also visited the Blue Penguin Colony - a conservation project where you can pay to see these tiny penguins come ashore and return to their nests each evening.

Fun fact: a group of penguins is called a raft. We saw 140 penguins return in one raft. The presenter said that was the biggest raft he had ever seen and could be due to calm waters, which make it easier for the penguins to find each other when it’s time to come ashore.