The Wonders of Oamaru

At the end of last month Brenda and I travelled to Oamaru, on the South Island of New Zealand. I was teaching a class for the North Otago Patchers and Quilters for two full days, but we got some extra time to explore this lovely city on the day we arrived.

Oamaru is known as the Steampunk Capital of the world. The old town has been preserved and transformed into a gorgeous area with cobbled streets, and the old Whitestone buildings from the early days of European settlement, when Oamaru was a bustling port.

Beautiful buildings with quirky and interesting shops, including lots of craft shopping opportunities make this a great place to explore.

We ventured into the Textile Emporium - what a delightful place! Vintage sewing machines, looms and an amazing spinning wheel from the 1700's caught our attention, as did all the lovely samples. 

This weaving had been done by students at the Emporium.

There really is something for everyone in this shop - whether you love to create crafts, or prefer to purchase genuine hand made items as a souvenir of your visit. Both Brenda and I came away with some goodies! My purchase was these luscious hand dyed Skeins from Doespins.

You can visit the Emporium online here 

We were also privileged to visit the newest Quilt shop in town - Stitch on Tyne. As you can see, Brenda was blown away with the gorgeous samples on the wall! This shop has a great classroom space and high ceilings - just the perfect venue for quilters. 

There were so many wonderful places to pop into within a small area, including the cafe with yummy food, all in stone buildings with loads of history, something that is pretty rare in New Zealand.

After the weekend's classes, we relaxed by taking a walk by the harbour. As the fog rolled in, a blues band was playing outside Scott's Brewing - where we enjoyed a refreshing drink before grabbing the most delicious pizza I have tasted in years.

Well, it looks like we will be back to visit, and thanks for a wonderful time, Oamaru!

Watch out for my next post where I will tell you all about the class I was teaching.....