Oamaru Breakwater, silent after the crashing of the last wave.

Before the storm the boats lay still in Oamaru Harbour.

A digitally painted piece showing the dramatic  clouds minutes before sunset in this beautiful location.

European settlement at Oamaru began in 1853 when Hugh Robison built a musterer’s hut on the foreshore. North Otago was good for sheep-runs, and in the 1860s the town grew rich servicing pastoralists and gold miners.

Oamaru, though, was no port. Cape Wanbrow, a stubby little headland, gave some shelter from southerly winds but none from easterlies. In the absence of breakwaters and wharves, ships anchored in the open sea, loading and discharging cargo into surf boats. It was slow, sweaty work.

It was also dangerous. Cables guided the surf boats through the breakers in a hair-raising surge of foam. Once on the beach, the boat crews sledged them up to a cargo shed. Passengers received similar treatment. As the boats approached the beach, boatmen waded out, took the passengers on their backs and carried them ashore.

This was possible only in fine, calm weather. Ships’ captains kept a weather eye on the horizon. At the first sign of danger or a shift in the wind, work stopped and they fled out to sea.

Oamaru’s exposed beach made it one of New Zealand’s most dangerous anchorages. More than 20 ships were wrecked there between 1860 and 1875, and many more were damaged and recovered. In the worst example, on the night of 3–4 February 1868, a huge storm wrecked a new jetty foolishly built out into the bay from an unprotected site, as well as the ships Star of Tasmania, Water Nymph and Otago. Four people drowned.  

'Oamaru Harbour', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/oamaru-harbour, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 20-Dec-2012

Behind the hustle and bustle of Harbour street lies a quieter place, sometimes dark.

March is the month for rainbows in Oamaru.

Here we see a beautiful example rising above Oamaru Harbour, reflected light from the clouds lighting the green waters below.

A cloud burst rains down over Kakanui, Waitaki.

Clouds from a passing storm slowly move to the south

Oamaru Breakwater and the September 2025 Eclipse sunrise

Oamaru Breakwater and the September 2025 Eclipse sunrise

The end of Holmes Wharf at night is an eerie place. Crashing waves, birds calling coming home to roost, penguins and the occasional rabbit about your feet.

A slow exposure stitched panoramic image, beautiful colours that will give warmth and depth to any room.

Oamaru Breakwater and Holmes Wharf, slow exposure, 25th May 2009.

A curious place to be at night with all the penguins, rabbits and seabirds hustling around you, getting ready to settle down.

Looking west inland from the Kakanui River Mouth.

This panoramic shows the Waitaki Valley from above Kurow township. A path leads to this point from the road below. At the top you will see this image on a sign that shows all the mountain names in the distance.

Below we can see the A2O bike trail, used by over 60,000 visitors a year.

Check out a tour at Virtual Waitaki, showing this location and many others along the valley, or click on the box below to explore.

The Lindis Pass is a stunning route to take on a trip around the South Island of New Zealand. A true spot for "4 Seasons in One Day", even in summer touches of snow can appear when a cold front moves through.

The Lindis Pass is a stunning route to take on a trip around the South Island of New Zealand. A true spot for "4 Seasons in One Day", even in summer touches of snow can appear when a cold front moves through.

Panoramic image with red filter applied to darken the skies.

Behind the hustle and bustle of Harbour Street, storm clouds gather above the railway yard.

A Digital artwork showing the beautiful Oamaru Harbour at sunset, the boats still lit by the setting sun.

Shortly before sunset, the sun dips below the nor-wester arch to light up the motionless boats in Oamaru Harbour.

On a quiet morning as the sun is rising, fog slowly parts ways with Sumpter Wharf, Oamaru.

Heading into Lindis Pass mid April 2014. Some snow on the hills lets us know that we are heading into winter.

Placing filters on your lens can do much more than protect your investment. Here we have an image that has had a red filter applied before converting to black and white.

You can read more about how filters can effect your black and white photography here.

A break in heavy fog lights up a wave from a distant sunrise at the Oamaru Breakwater, Oamaru Harbour.

Captured at 1/1600th of a second the water appears to shatter like glass against the stone.

The Old Water Wheel, Oamaru, prior to it's renovation.
16th March 2010

Located inland from Palmerston, this Tor, a rocky outcrop in the landscape, provides shelter for it's own ecosystem.

A stitched panorama of a road to home, 1st November 2014

Stitched Panorama of the snowy Kakanui mountains inland from Oamaru.