Omarama to Oamaru

Monday 10^th February –  Omarama to Oamaru

It's easy to get the names mixed up around here, get lost and end up where you don't expect to be!  
Today we did a complete turnaround.  We started off to drive up to Lake Tepako specifically to go to the Observatory up there, but the clouds set in and  it was a long drive to be disappointed.

First thing from Omarama we took a short drive out to Twizel, you just had to go to see somewhere called that. It was a temporary town built to house workers whilst the main dam was constructed. But the people liked it so much they insisted on staying. We had a look at the hamlet and the dam, there isn't else much there,  had a coffee of course, then made the decision to turn around and drive all the way back to lovely Oamaru, via Lake Benmore.  Of course lashing more beautiful scenery.

We parked at the town camping place in the centre of town and spent the whole afternoon walking around this lovely Victorian/Edwardian town. It is really bizarre place, on one hand lots of lovely Victorian buildings, but then you have the Steampunk gallery, and other bizarre arts places.

There is a historical centre, a steam railway and a fabulous Opera House.... okay not very big, but great. It t has been kept in tact, restored and fully used.  They have a small heritage area which seems to be a mixture of derelict warehouses, galleries and gift shops.

It has a lovely public gardens which we walked through to get to the camper, a great day. In the evening we walked back into town to one of only a handful of restaurants open, in a lovely old hotel, and I had fish and chips and Rod had venison pie, very nice it was too.

Lastly they had a predominence of weird churches there.

The best one being the Blue Penguin Church... what can you say!