Oamaru Steam Train

CHOO CHOO AND A WOOHOO

05 JULY 2022

Little blue penguins

Is This New Zealand's Coolest Town?

Oamaru is a historic town in the South Island, which shows off its Victorian past. Many of the buildings you see today were built in the 19th century, using local limestone. Lonely Planet once named it as New Zealand's coolest town. We enjoyed spending half a day here and found it to be a really unique place with so many quirky charms.

We only had a short amount of time to spend in Oamaru, as we had been to see the Moeraki Boulders in the morning and we were heading north to make our way back to Christchurch to fly back home the next morning. As with all of our trips, we researched what there was to do in the area and we decided that the Oamaru Steam Train was a must, as well as visiting Steampunk HQ.

Victorian buildings

The Steampunk HQ building is on the right

Get Ya Choo-Choo On

The steam train operates every Sunday (as long as the weather is good!) and is run by volunteers. It also runs during special events like the Victorian Heritage weekend in mid-November and over the Christmas and New Years period (except for Christmas day). The train departs at 11am, 11:45am and 1pm.

The prices are really reasonable and are a cheap family adventure - we paid $24 for a family fare (2 adults and 2 children). You can also buy a one-way ticket if you feel like walking back from the stopping point. For updated prices, click here.

The return time on the train is around half an hour, plus you get 15 minutes to spend at the red sheds and there's a huge surprise which you can read about further down the blog.

The front of the steam train

It was a drizzly day, but it cleared up a bit when we were on the train

Sienna probably took a really funny photo here!

Travel Through Time

The train has been beautifully kept and is in great condition. We really enjoyed riding on it as it had a real vintage feel and there were only a few people riding, so we weren't cramped or anything!

When you take off, you feel like you're travelling through time as you travel through the Victorian precinct. The buildings are stunning and if the cars weren't there, you really would feel like you've time travelled! The train doesn't go very fast, so you're able to take it all in and enjoy it.

You have the option to go to the front of the train and sit outside on some bench seats or stand and take in the view. Alternatively, there are heaps of seats inside which would be nice to relax in if it's a cooler or drizzly day.

The girls were soooo excited to find out that they were going on a train! There was no doubt about where we were going to spend the train journey - at the front, of course! We met a lovely couple who were travelling around New Zealand and we spent most of the time chatting to them and taking photos of all the cool things we passed.

Heading to the front of the train

It's nice to have the choice to sit inside or out

Lots And Lots Of Poo

The journey to the red sheds offered us great views of Pacific Ocean. One of the wharfs was absolutely covered in shags (and we're sure a huge amount of shag poop!!) just hanging out, doing their thang. At first, we thought they were penguins, but that excitement quickly deescalated when we realised they were just shags. But seriously, it seemed like there were hundreds on the one wharf!

We passed a steampunk themed playground that had a giant penny farthing and a cage you could climb into, on top of an elephant! The town had such random stuff and that's what makes it so unique.

Choo choo!

We saw masses of shags on the wharf

This is the 2nd elephant bum we have seen on our travels! (Aside from the zoo) The other was at the Kaipara Plant Centre

The Red Sheds

At the end of the line, along the base of the clay cliffs at the Victorian Harbour, the train stops and you get to have a walk around for 15 minutes before heading back to the train station.

The red sheds are made from red corrugated iron (hence the name) and were built in the 1800s for the Oamaru Harbour Board. These days they are used by artists and steam railway enthusiasts.

The red sheds stood out against the clay cliff

Our chariot awaits

An Amazing Surprise!

We had absolutely no idea that we were going to see little blue penguins and seals!! We had read about the penguin colony in Oamaru and we weren't able to go as the experience started at 6:30pm and we were outskies well before then, so we were stoked to be able to see them.

We were given a tour of the nesting boxes at the colony and we were really excited when the guide lifted one of the boxes and we saw two little blue penguins. Everyone in the group got to go and have a look at them and take photos.

The Little Blue Penguins here are the smallest penguin in the world, weighing in at just over 1kg and live to around 8 - 10 years. They will return to the same nesting site every year and will either nest in the boxes or in caves, rock crevices and under logs.

They lay their eggs between July to mid-November and sometimes December. The incubation period us for up to 36 days, then mum and dad look after them for 18-38 days and they fledge after 7-8 weeks.

The nesting boxes were scattered around the area

Check out these two cuties!

The little blue penguins are such a vibrant colour

The Other Stars Of The Show

Just as cute and cuddly (well, we're not sure they would be a lot of fun to cuddle when they're biting you!), are the fur seals that come up to the colony. We saw quite a few of them and one was sitting right on the other side of the wooden fence! Happy as Larry and didn't seem phased at all by humans being there! (Unlike the ones at Maunganui Bluff in Northland and the South Coast Walk in Wellington.) The others were further up along the coast, resting after coming in from the rough seas.

The seals generally leave in the afternoon and the penguins come in when the sun is starting to set.

Because we only had 15 minutes to see the penguins and seals, we had to take a few snaps, say a few hellos and head back to the train. Considering how much it costs to view the penguins at night at the viewing platform, our $24 ticket was 100% worth it!

The viewing platform to see the penguins at night is to the right

This guy (or gal) was happy to just chill right beside the fence

Check out those whiskers!

Know Before You Go

The train runs every Sunday (except Christmas Day)
We parked by the Victorian Heritage Centre as it was the closest parking we could find for our Britz camper
Allow 45 minutes - 1 hour for this experience
Take a camera!
You can sit inside or outside on the train journey
There's no extra charge to view the penguins and seals
It cost us $24 for a family pass (2 adults and 2 children). Click here for updated pricing
Otherwise, an adult is $10, a child is $4 and under 5s are free
One way tickets are available

Mappy McMap Face

Getting There

You'll find this amazing steam train station located on Itchen Street Oamaru. It's going to be tricky trying to find parking right out the front, so we would recommend shooting down Tyne street, which is almost straight across from the station and down there you'll find some parking (including spots where you can park for up to 2 hours) from there you're good to go. Grab your tickets and enjoy!

Conclusion

Oamaru is such a funky town that's full of life. If you are looking for a nice little chug along the harbour where you can soak up the views and enjoy a nice little experience, then this one is for you. If you are a thrill seeker and have a need for speed, this one might be a bit slow for you! For us it was perfect and it was so nice as it was our first experience together on a steam train. This experience comes with our highest recommendation and for the $24 we paid to do it.... it was well worth it