2026 Programme
Daily View
Select a day to view its events
Thursday 12 November
10am–11.30am
Junction Hotel tour
Coming from the southern entrance to Ōamaru, the 1879 Junction Hotel, on the corner of State Highway 1 and Awamoa Road, heralds the promise of Ōamaru’s Victorian architecture and history. Enjoy a tour of the Junction’s thirty four rooms and thoughtfully laid out gardens. Refreshments will be served.
Location: 62 Wansbeck St (cnr Towey & Wansbeck, next to South Hill New World)
Cost: Tickets $20 (includes refreshments).
Book: Required - Rose’s General Store, 5 Tyne St or online
10am–11.30am
Celebrating Heritage with Waitaki Students
We’re pleased to welcome students from Waitaki Girls’ and Waitaki Boys’ High Schools as they share fresh perspectives on Ōamaru’s past. Come along and support our young historians.
Ōamaru Heritage Stories — Speeches by Waitaki Girls’ High School Students
Poppy Ludemann (Year 10) explores Ōamaru’s historic architecture, the legacy of Thomas Forrester, the strength of Ōamaru stone, and how a 19th‑century economic crash helped shape the town’s heritage.
Lilly Sitake (Year 10) celebrates Ōamaru’s multicultural community, focusing on Tongan cultural traditions and how families and community groups share their language, identity, and culture across the town.
Sana Ishikawa (Year 12) reflects on her year in Ōamaru, highlighting its cafés, galleries, whitestone buildings, prosperous past, and the Historic Precinct at the heart of its Victorian heritage.
Waitaki: Writers of the Past —Speeches by Waitaki Boys’ High School Students
Discover the rich literary legacy of Waitaki Boys’ High School as students celebrate the lives and works of distinguished former pupils, including James Bertram, Ian Milner, Angus Ross, Charles Brasch, and others.
Join us in celebrating these remarkable Old Boys, whose journeys began here in Ōamaru and who went on to help shape New Zealand’s literary landscape.
Location: Ceremonial Hall, Masonic Hall, 10 Wansbeck St
Cost: Free
Book: Recommended - Register online
10am–1pm
Celebrating Heritage in Motion at Clarks Mill
Marvel at four storeys of rare vintage machinery as it rolls into action. Arrive at least one hour before operating for a guided tour with one of our knowledgeable Visitor Hosts. Machinery operates at 12pm.
Location: Clarks Mill, 1017 Alma-Maheno Highway (12km south of Ōamaru, parking available on site)
Cost: $20 Adults, $17 Students & Gold Card, FREE for Heritage NZ Members & Children
Book: No booking required
10am–3pm
Ōamaru Caledonian Society Exhibition
Did you know? Christmas Day did not become a statutory holiday until 1910. Although it was declared a Bank Holiday in 1873, many people still had to work.
With a strong Scottish community in Victorian Ōamaru, New Year was the biggest celebration. Founded in 1869, the Ōamaru Caledonian Society attracted thousands to its spectacular New Year festivities, featuring sporting competitions, concerts, fireworks, and a grand ball.
This Scottish tradition remains strong today. Waimate celebrated its 150th Caledonian Games in January this year, while in Ōamaru the North Otago Scottish Society continues the tradition with events such as Burns Night. This year also marks the 125th anniversary of the North Otago Highland Pipe Band.
Discover the story of North Otago's Scottish heritage at our Scottish Celebrations display in the Grainstore Information Hub. Curated by OVHC committee member Natalie Wilson.
Location: Smith’s Grainstore, 9 Tyne St, at the Information Hub
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–3pm
Celebrating 150 Years of the Ōamaru Mail
Celebrate this massive milestone for our local newspaper. Pop in and discover some of the equipment that helped bring the news to life, from early typesetting tools to the heavy machinery now on display. Exhibition material courtesy of Waitaki Museum & Archive.
Location: Livery Stables, 5 Harbour St
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–4pm
CELEBRATING Looms and Yarns (both anecdotal and woollen)
This year, McLean & Co. celebrate 80 years since their c. 1895 Hattersley Weaving System was imported from the UK to New Zealand, and 20 years since the looms arrived in Ōamaru.
It's been 20 years of learning—how to restore and maintain the machinery, how to weave purposeful textiles, and how to create a sustainable business.
Celebrating life in the slow textile lane: no electricity, only heritage machinery, people power, beautiful New Zealand yarn, lots of passion, quite a few stories, and many celebrations. Celebrate with us–visit our weaving shed.
Location: McLean & Co Weaving Shed, 37 Greta St
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–4pm
Unidentified Woman
A photographic exhibition celebrating the unnamed women of the Waitaki Archive’s collection. Check Tuesday’s Daily Guide for full details.
Location: Waitaki Museum and Archive, 60 Thames St
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–4pm
Visit the Forrester Gallery
Explore current exhibitions in the beautifully restored former Bank of New South Wales building, including the Mahika Kai Mahika Toi extension. Check Tueday’s Daily Guide for full details.
Location: Forrester Gallery, 9 Thames St
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–4pm
Whiskerina Open Workshop
Liz Ende is a trained milliner with over 40 years’ experience in hats, costumes, and textile art.
She’s opening her workroom to anyone with an interest in costume and millinery, or to those who’d like to make a beard for the Whiskerina Competition at Sunday's Victorian Fete. Materials are provided for beards. Come along and get creative.
Location: Liz Ende Hats, 1 School Rd, Kakanui
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10am–4.30pm
Celebrate 10 years of CRAFTED: Waitaki Artisan Gallery
Join us at CRAFTED: Waitaki Artisan Gallery as we embrace the 2026 Heritage Celebrations theme of Celebration and mark 10 years of creativity, community, and craftsmanship. An exhibition of members’ celebratory creations is on display daily, with a special 10th birthday celebration on Saturday evening. This special occasion honours the artists and artisans whose passion and skill have shaped our gallery’s story. Come raise a glass, share in the festivities, and celebrate a decade of making, heritage, and connection in the heart of Waitaki.
Location: CRAFTED: Waitaki Artisan Gallery, 3 Harbour St
Cost: Free
Book: No booking required
10.30am
Celebrating Ōamaru Stone Heritage – Quarry Tour
Quarried locally, Ōamaru Stone became the foundation of Ōamaru's architectural legacy, shaping the magnificent buildings we celebrate as the heart of our historic streetscape.
Explore the remarkable limestone quarry pits where this iconic stone has been extracted for generations, and discover the story of Ōamaru Stone and its people in Joe's Shed, the onsite museum.
Travel by 12‑seater bus to the Weston Quarry with tour guide and historian Judy Mitchell‑Oats, and experience the only active quarry in New Zealand still producing Ōamaru Stone building blocks.
This tour is also offered on other mornings and afternoons throughout the Celebrations. See the listings under each day's programme for additional sessions.
Location: Pick up at Scott's Brewery car park
Cost: $25.00 per person
Book: Required - Ring Judy on 027 668 8032 or email: judy@oamarustone.co.nz
10.30am
Celebrating the Birthplace of NZ’s Frozen Meat Industry
Hear the story of Totara Estate from a different perspective. Explore the Estate as it comes to life through stories then celebrate afterwards with freshly baked scones and billy tea.
Location: Totara Estate, 565 Alma-Maheno Highway, 8km south of Ōamaru. Parking available on site.
Cost: $30 per person, scones and tea included.
Book: Recommended - Phone 03 433 126 or email: totaramanager@heritage.org.nz
11am
Celebrate Ōamaru - Get the inside story!
Don’t just wander the historic area and be left wondering! Join a Walking Tour with a professional guide who will bring your experience alive by providing local expertise, historical context and interesting stories that transforms your visit into an enriching memorable adventure.
Location: Meet at 1 Thames St, near railway crossing
Cost: $30pp
Book: Required - Email: tokarahi@xtra.co.nz or Phone 021 159 7904
12pm–1.30pm
The Ōamaru Historic Pub Crawl
In the 1880s, Ōamaru boasted 17 hotels. Just twenty years later, prohibition arrived and held firm for more than half a century. What became of those lively establishments during that long dry spell? Join historian Brian Robertson on a walking tour to find out.
This is far more than grabbing a pint. Wander through decades of local history, weaving in and out of Ōamaru’s oldest public houses.
Who doesn't love a good tale... with a well-earned pint at the end—and maybe one at the beginning, too!
Location: Meet outside the Loan and Merc, 14 Harbour St
Cost: Free
Book: Recommended - Register
12.15pm–1pm
The Waitaki Valley Singers
Enjoy a lunchtime concert at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church for an uplifting escape in the middle of the day.
Location: St Paul’s Church, 5 Coquet St
Cost: Gold coin
Book: No booking required
2pm–3pm
The Greatest Spectacle of its kind
This year marks the centenary of Dunedin’s New Zealand & South Seas International Exhibition of 1925/26 - a dazzling event that captured imaginations across the country and became the talk of the town. Many Oamaruvians would have visited, as travel was much easier then.
Join Toitū Otago Settlers Museum curator Peter Read for a peep inside the pavilions and a roller-coaster ride through the ins and outs, and ups and downs, of what was hailed as "the greatest spectacle of its kind. Location: Ceremonial Hall, Masonic Hall, 10 Wansbeck St
Cost: Free
Book: Recommended - Register online
2pm–4pm
Visit Janet Frame’s house
Visit the childhood home of celebrated New Zealand author Janet Frame.
Location: Janet Frame House, 56 Eden St
Cost: $10
Book: No booking required
2pm
Celebrating the Birthplace of NZ’s Frozen Meat Industry
Afternoon tour of Totara Estate, including storytelling, freshly baked scones and billy tea. See today’s 10.30am session for full details.
Location: Totara Estate, 565 Alma-Maheno Highway, 8km south of Ōamaru. Parking available on site.
Cost: $30 per person, scones and tea included.
Book: Recommended - Phone 03 433 126 or email: totaramanager@heritage.org.nz
2.30pm
Celebrating Ōamaru Stone Heritage – Quarry Tour
Join the afternoon quarry tour with historian Judy Mitchell-Oats. See today’s 10.30am session for full details.
Location: Pick up at Scott's Brewery carpark
Cost: $25.00 per person
Book: Required - Ring Judy on 027 668 8032 or email: judy@oamarustone.co.nz
3.30pm–5.30pm
Hand Trolley Racing
Bring the whole whānau for excitement and entertainment as teams of locals, visitors and businesses race hand trolleys down the railway track - the old-fashioned way, with people power!
Cheer on your favourites, soak up the atmosphere, and support a great cause – Ōamaru Steam and Rail and the Ōamaru Heritage Celebrations.
Want to have a go? Put together a team of up to 4 people and give it a go.
This is a fundraising event, so we welcome donations from race participants ($30 per team of 4).
Location: Racing will be at the Railway Workshop, behind Steampunk HQ, 1B Humber St
Cost: Free to watch
Book: Required - Teams can register and pay online, or email ev@vhc.co.nz if you prefer to be invoiced.
4pm
Celebrate Ōamaru - Get the inside story!
Join a guided walking tour of the Victorian Precinct. Check Thursday’s Daily Guide for full details.
Location: Meet at 1 Thames St, near the railway crossing
Cost: $30pp
Book: Required - Email: tokarahi@xtra.co.nz or Phone 021 159 7904
6pm–8.30pm
Creative writing workshop with a Victorian twist
Lynda Scott Araya is a writer published both within Aotearoa and internationally. Come and enjoy a creative writing workshop inspired by her heritage home, Western House, est. 1861. The event will involve a short tour of the homestead, tea/refreshments, and a writing workshop. You will need to bring paper and a pen or a laptop.
Location: Western House, 5469 Kurow-Duntroon Road, Kurow
Cost: Koha which will go towards a mental health organisation
Book: Required - Email: westernhouse.kurow@gmail.com
6.30pm–8pm
The Seaside Supper Express
The Victorians loved to holiday at the seaside, so climb aboard the Seaside Supper Express for a delightful evening of seaside fun! Enjoy a scenic train ride, a classic fish and chip supper, ice cream, and lashings of ginger beer and lemonade (the adult kind). The Barnacle Brothers will keep the good times rolling with plenty of sing-along entertainment along the way. It's a wonderful evening out, filled with laughter, music, and seaside charm.
Seats are limited, so book early to secure your place aboard.
Location: Harbourside Station, pedestrian access via Itchen St
Cost: $75
Book: Essential – online