Oamaru

Oamaru (debate? / I ) is the largest town in North Otago on the South Island of New Zealand.

  • 5.1 administration
  • 5.2 Road Access

Geographical Location

The city lies 80 kilometers south of Timaru and 120 kilometers north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast. Oamaru is the valley of the Waitaki River, the eastern gateway to the Mackenzie Basin.

Name

The name comes from the Oamaru Māorisprache and means place of Maru. The exact identity of the " Maru " is not known why only about conjectural. The place name is a shibboleth: The local southern dialect of Māori ignores the first A in the name (AUH -muh - ROO ). Māori with the northern dialect tend to call these (correct ) pronunciation to be incorrect. You stretch the A ( o -UH -muh - ROO ). How can I tell if a speaker or a speaker from the north or the south comes the basis of the debate.

Most city streets are named after British rivers. The main street is the Thames Street, other important roads are the Severn Street and Tyne Street.

History

Important archaeological finds in the area Oamaru, especially at the mouth of the Waitaki River, where archaic Moajäger left around 1100 tracks, indicate that the area was already populated at that time.

According to James Cook's journal he was on 20 February 1770 the Endeavour three kilometers away from the coast, close to the mouth of the Waitaki. He noted that the country is very flat and the hilly hinterland begin until four to five miles inland. The area seemed very bleak and showed no trace of inhabitants. He anchored there for four days.

In fact lived in the region from 1814 Māori and settled sporadically seal hunters who hunted the New Zealand fur seals. After 1831 under the leadership of Te Rauparaha Maori tribal leader a Pā at Kaiapoi was sacked near Christchurch, the refugees moved southward and settled near Kakanui and in the area between Pukeuri and Waianakarua, including the area of the present town Oamaru.

Edward Shortland visited from Waikouaiti in 1844, the region by land. He made a map and also held Oamaru fixed cartographically. He was one of several Europeans who explored the region in the 1840s on foot. James Saunders was before 1850, the first European government officials of the district, when he moved to this area in order to trade with the Māori at the Waitakimündung.

In the 1850s, more and more European settlers came to the area, including Hogh Robison, 1853 at the Oamaru River built a hut made ​​of turf. The site was declared a town in 1859. Oamaru grew into a center for the agricultural hinterland between the Kakanui Mountains and the Waitaki River. In addition, the Port in Cape Wanbrow gained increasing importance as a commercial and fishing port.

The development of the frozen meat industry, which originated in nearby Totora, also led to the recovery Oamaru. Institutions such as the Athenaeum, the Waitaki Boys High School and Waitaki Girls High School were established. The local limestone is ideal for processing and then the artificial generic handling of craftsmen with the limestone influenced the city. The architectural group Forrester & Lemon built during this era, many of the public buildings and buildings for companies in today's historic center. In the period of 1880s - depression Oamaru was one of the most beautiful and wealthiest cities of Australasia and about the same as the then Los Angeles. After the economic development abated, yet the population continued to grow until the 1970s. The closure of the port and the rest of the New Zealand industry met Oamaru very hard. In response, Oamaru remembered as one of the first New Zealand cities on its architectural heritage and its commercially - tourism.

Attractions

Historic Old Town

Many public buildings from the 19th century were built from the bright regionally occurring limestone, which was particularly degraded near Winston. The historic city center - it involves only a few streets - has a nearly closed buildings from the Victorian era and is considered one of the most impressive historical total assets of New Zealand. This district and the waterfront are under monument protection.

A public gallery, the Forrester Gallery, was opened in 1983 in the former neo-classical building of the Bank of New South Wales. Other buildings have been restored. A trust fund was established and promoted the restoration of the historic harbor district. With the beginning of the 21st century, the cultural heritage has become an important economic factor was. It was supplemented by historical institutions, such as the museum railway in the Oamaru Steam and Railway Society, which uses the trackage of the former harbor. Artists have settled here.

Penguin colony

In the area of the port, the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, a colony of little penguins lives. Just south of the town there is a colony of yellow-eyed penguins. To date, penguins live sporadically among some of the beach-front buildings, including a music club called Club Penguin. Especially at dusk they can be observed on the way to their nests.

Infrastructure

Management

The city is the administrative center of the Waitaki District. However, the historical status, behind Dunedin to be the second most important center in Otago is at risk, as the importance of the town of Queenstown is growing steadily by their position in tourism in the central Otago.

Transport links

The city is located on State Highway 1

Oamaru is on the main railway line of the South Island, the Main South Line connected. There are regular freight runs. The passenger was set in 2002 with the task of turn " Southerner ".

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