(I want to apologize for the “look” of this post… I am learning how to set up still… and for whatever reason I cannot seem to get the words and the pictures to “set” where I want them to, side by side, instead of one long column… I will be researching this to figure out how to come back and hopefully fix this posting).
On our way to Oamaru we picked up a hitchhiker! <grin> I’m sorry Jock… I just couldn’t resist saying that. J Ok, in all seriousness, Jock Webster of Topflite Birdseed graciously volunteered to drive across the hills to meet up with us before we reached our next destination and then he toured with us to and through Oamaru showing us some of the sights of his area. This is where I fell in love (again), with Oamaru. Oamaru is truly a beautiful part of the South Island and is the one area that we (Bruce & I) personally hope to come back to, soon and more than just once. In fact… I do believe that we two could easily make this area a “winter” home (which would be summer there ~ a win win as Bruce would say!).
As we drive we see rolling green hills dotted with cattle, and around a corner we see a very unique way to show your farms name… Altavady ~ which, I have since found out, is visible from Google Earth and has several mentions on the internet if you “google” it.
With Jock we visit a boy’s high school ~ the Waitaki Boys School. Oh my goodness… what a beautiful place to study. This magnificent school was founded in 1883 and the main buildings are built of the indigenous stone of the area, the Oamaru limestone.
This limestone is quarried near Omaru in Weston and while we did not get a chance to visit the quarry we did drive by some of the stone in its natural setting as well as many beautiful buildings built in this creamy colour.
One stop in particular that we all enjoyed was the Farmers Market. Down near the harbor the area was filled with Kiwi’s out shopping for fresh produce or handmade items to display in their homes. Some stalls are in the older buildings (shown below) of this area, while others are braving the bracing breeze off the ocean outdoors. Oamaru’s Old Towne was a young town in the late 1900′s and its population rivaled that of Los Angeles. At the time it’s economy was driven by wool, grain, and refrigerated meat. Please click on the link to read more of Oamaru’s history and see pictures of these magnificent buildings when they were new.
Bruce & I took a walk out to the bay and then looked back towards the town. Gorgeous! The old granary buildings with the back-set of the homes climbing the hills spoke of a town who’s history and current residents were well loved and cared for.
Yes, I left a bit of my heart in Oamaru, but so did Bruce. This area almost at the bottom of the globe calls to us… whispers still… “come home”… and time will tell if we listen to that whisper… or if it will blow away in the breeze.
