Time to go further South. As you know we didn’t really have a strict plan for this road trip and that’s what made it even more exciting. We were going day after day and just making stops wherever we wanted. That’s why these two cities, somewhere in the middle of the South Island, were big surprise for us.
After we left Christchurch the road took us straight to Timaru, city in the South Canterbury Region. Buildings in the Victorian style definitely give this city a special vibe and a lot of small cafes on the main street are just a perfect spot to enjoy the atmosphere… It was a late afternoon when we got there so there wasn’t a lot people on the street, it looked a bit deserted but still charming.
Before we started this road trip my decision was to drive only during the day because I didn’t want to miss anything on our way. So after Timaru we entered the Otago Region and decided to stay for the night in the next town called Oamaru. We didn’t know anything about this place and that’s why it was a huge surprise. Oamaru is a different New Zealand. In the last year and a half we’ve been all around the country and this town is definitely special. While we were walking along the streets, named by the rivers in England, for a moment it felt like we were somewhere over there, somewhere in Europe.
Public buildings here are made of the local limestone known as Omaru stone. Most of them were built from 1865 – 1885. That carved stone in Neo Classical style looks really beautiful and unique. It was so nice to see how everyone here embraced the Victorian theme so all galleries, arts and crafts shops and cafes are decorated in that style.
One more thing needs to be mentioned about this amazing town. Alongside the awesome architecture, the reason why every year more than 75 000 tourists are coming here is a colony of the little blue penguins. These cute creatures live in the harbour, so while you are here, stop to say hallo.
One more time I have proved to myself that traveling without a strict plan is the best way of traveling. It always brings unexpected moments, right? This time we accidentally discovered a bit different New Zealand, how great is that?
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