Oamaru Victorian Heritage Celebrations
Annual celebration of Oamaru's heritage, set among the Victorian limestone streetscapes and harbour area. A volunteer-run festival, with small-town warmth, music, food, lectures, tours, dances, crafts and heaps of Oamaru creativity.
Lower Decks Dance $25.00
Sunday 19 November 2023
Last chance to dance! We evoke the atmosphere of 19th century steerage travellers, creating their own entertainment in a rustic setting. Live music, dancing, and light refreshments. 19th century food, dietary preferences cannot be accommodated.
Loan and Mercantile Building
Headstones and Stories Walking Tour $30.00
Sunday 19 November 2023
Conservation historian Helen Stead leads a walk through the old Oamaru Cemetery.
Laid out in denominational blocks and sections, stories of individuals, family and district endeavour, live on through carved names and dates inscribed in stone.
Adults $30.00; School-age children FREE.
Oamaru Cemetery - Greta Street Gates
Janet Frame's Writing in Light of Migration Themes $10.00
Saturday 18 November 2023
Ralph Sherwood reads excerpts from Janet Frame’s writing about her many migrations.
Janet Frame House
Dockside Dance $45.00
Saturday 18 November 2023
AKA Shindig, Ceilidh or knees-up! A night of fun and old-fashioned dancing. The Dunedin Scottish Fiddle Orchestra will provide the music and call the dances to help you romp through the evening. Includes a light supper - 19th century food means dietary preferences may not be accommodated. Liquid refreshments can be purchased (cash bar).
Victorian dress encouraged, but not required.
Loan & Mercantile Building
The Junction Hotel - another year on $25.00
Between Thursday 16 November 2023 and Saturday 18 November 2023
See what's been done in 2023.
Ticket includes refreshments. Proceeds go towards ongoing restoration
Junction Hotel
Mother's Ruin High Tea $50.00
Saturday 18 November 2023
Join us for a high tea, prohibition style! Featuring a long table, attendees can enjoy a shared high tea spread, accompanied by two “not prohibited” gin drinks.
NOTE: This is a 90-minute event. Please arrive by 3:30 for the full experience
Victoria Lounge
Victorian Fashion Parade $5.00
Saturday 18 November 2023
Live models show the evolution of Victorian fashion over most of the 19th century, from working class to high society.
Scottish Hall
Breaking Up the Big Estates Bus Tour $30.00
Saturday 18 November 2023
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 18 NOVEMBER SESSION IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Another session will be scheduled for some time after 19 November. Please add your name to the Wait List so we can advise you when the next tour becomes available.
Leaving from the Brydone Hotel, this two-hour tour passes by banks, wool & grain stores, up to Cape Wanbrow, looking down over the Harbour & Sumpters Wharf, which was specially built for the frozen meat industry. The tour then continues out to Weston, to Parkside Quarry, and then back through Ardgowan to Ōamaru down Buckley’s Hill.
Noel Crawford, the author of “Antipodean Empire,” will speak about the changes in land use tied within the South Canterbury Region, sharing his own family experiences of farming land in South Canterbury.
Conservation Historian Helen Stead’s own family story covers Devil’s Bridge land, formally owned by her family, and where she lived as a child. Helen also attended Ardgowan School, which is 120 years old this year.
Coach Park, Lower Itchen St at Tyne St
The Junction Hotel is Overtaken by Pteridomania $25.00
Between Thursday 16 November 2023 and Saturday 18 November 2023
Make your own family heirlooms using pressed ferns and flowers to decorate albums, cards, bookmarks and ephemera for journals.
Everything supplied for the class, followed by a Devonshire tea.
Junction Hotel
Garden Party - Refreshments $5.00
Friday 17 November 2023
Tea or coffee and fresh home-baked goods to accompany your stroll in the Gardens.
Please note that baking is based on 19th-century recipes, and dietary preferences cannot be accommodated
Oamaru Public Gardens
Elevenses with Mrs B $10.00
Friday 17 November 2023
Price: $10.00 Victorian-style late morning treats. Featuring tea or coffee and fresh home-baked goods, all taken from the 1861 classic Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. Accompanied by a glass of Madeira.
Please note that baking is based on original 19th-century recipes. We have gluten-free options, but other dietary preferences may not be accommodated
Early Settlers Hall
Promenade The Precinct $10.00
Between Thursday 16 November 2023 and Friday 17 November 2023
Saunter through Oamaru's Victorian precinct escorted by Lady Rose. Enjoy stories of the many historic buildings, as well as the tales of individuals closely connected to the area
Itchen St at Harbour Street
Oamaru's Classic Architecture Tour $30.00
Thursday 16 November 2023
Join us on a captivating journey with conservation historian Helen Stead as she leads you through Ōamaru’s streetscapes, taking you past its magnificent historic buildings.
Explore both classical and humble structures crafted by artisans and pioneers who discovered delight in the abundant supply of local limestone. This limestone has played a pivotal role in shaping Ōamaru’s history, giving it a distinct and unique character.
Adults $30.00; School-age children FREE.
Wear St Coach Stop, opposite side door to The Brydone Hotel
The Troubling Wake of Theodore Knock $69.00
Wednesday 15 November 2023
A comedic murder mystery for you to solve!
Brydone Hotel
Ships, Sheep and Grain Tour bus/walking tour $30.00
Wednesday 15 November 2023
In the 1840s, Oamaru harbour served as an open roadstead for ships, migrants, livestock, and building materials. Explore the history of the breakwaters and wharves which facilitated the export of grain and frozen meat to the world.
Tour includes a bus to the Lookout over Oamaru Harbour, then a return to the Heritage Precinct to learn about the Ōamaru stone buildings, once the central hub for merchants, bankers, millers and more.
Adults $30.00; School-age children FREE.
Coach Park, Lower Itchen St at Tyne St
Banks & Businesses: Finances & Services for Migrants $20.00
Saturday 11 November 2023
Noel Crawford, the author of “Antipodean Empire,” tells the story of the initial development of the South Island’s East Coast. The New Zealand and Australian Land Company (NZALC) undertook this development, with funding from Scottish banks.
Afterwards, Historian Helen Stead explores Ōamaru’s rapid growth between 1858 and 1878, which transformed it into New Zealand’s 9th largest town. Learn about the wealthy migrants who acquired land. Plus, hear about the excitement of May 1896 when 8000 names were drawn in ballots for 68 land lots from the Ardgowan Estate.
Adults $20.00; School-age children FREE.
Ardgowan School
