gourmet
ATTRACTIONS
Tantalise Your Tastebuds
Oamaru and the Waitaki Region have a range of wonderful eating options and speciality produce to delight your taste buds. From Craft Beers to Award winning cheese; the food alone is worth the trek. Why not make a weekend of it and indulge in some of the best that Oamaru has to offer.
Let the fresh local produce of the Waitaki speak for itself.
Be sure to check out our award winning restaurants.
Award
Winning
Riverstone
Kitchen
Built in a paddock on the family farm, 15 minutes north of Oamaru in North Otago, Riverstone Kitchen has become a destination for food-loving kiwis and international visitors alike.
Supreme winner of Cuisine magazine’s coveted Restaurant of the Year award, putting it firmly on the map.
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Chef, and Owner Bevin Smith reflects his food ethos in a short, uncluttered menu focusing on local ingredients, with much of the produce sourced locally and from the family’s gardens.
Bevin is passionate about showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer and is a strong advocate of sustainability and locally sourced produce.
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The restaurant sits alongside Riverstone Country Gift shops, playground, extensive gardens and the newly built Riverstone Castle.
Award
Winning
Fleurs Place
Moeraki
Fleurs Place is set in the sleepy little fishing village of Moeraki on the Otago coast, and offers an unbeatable setting. There's water on three sides, fishing boats bobbing in the harbour, the famous Moeraki boulders across the bay and, to the north, the open sea.
Fleur uses only the freshest of local ingredients - indeed, fishing boats landing their catches right into her restaurant.
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The restaurant was established on an early whaling station site in 2002 and is built from gathered collectables and demolition materials from all over New Zealand.
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​The owner Fleur Sullivan has made her reputation in Central Otago where she established Olivers restaurant and has received numerous awards for her restaurants and in recognition for her contribution to tourism.
Award Winning Restaurant - Cucina
Oamaru
Having won the gold medal in the 2019’s Beef and Lamb excellence awards, as well as other awards, dining at Cucina is a must while in Oamaru.
Embark on a Geo Degustation and savour the tastes of the region with South American inspired dishes made with fresh local produce.
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Del Mar
Oamaru Harbour
Del Mar's superb harbour front location is perfectly paired with its casual, family friendly menu featuring seafood, pizza and a fantastic homemade gelato selection.
Craftwork Beers
Oamaru
A small idiosyncratic Belgian-style nano brewery, in the heart of Victorian Oamaru.
Discover a love affair with Belgium beer and traditional brewing techniques. Enjoy an afternoon sampling Farmhouse Ales, Saisons and spontaneously-fermented
'coolship' beers.
Award
Winning
Whitestone Cheese
Clean water, rich soil, quality pastures, a temperate climate & contented cows all make for a premium milk and premium cheese products.
Sample some seriously good handcrafted artisan cheese made right here in Oamaru. Factory tours and tastings available.
Scotts
Brewing Co.
Scott's Brewing Company produces New Zealand's only gluten free beer alongside an ever changing array of craft beer made with local grain, South Island hops and Southern Alpine water - The purest ingredients to make premium crafter beer.
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Whisky
The New Zealand Whisky Collection, Oamaru
A few years back, the NZ Whisky Company bought at auction, the last 80,000 litres of cask strength whisky from what was the southern-most distillery in the world.
Head to the cellar door to sample their full range of specialty whiskies including the Oamaruvian and the Dunedin DoubleWood, among many others.
River T Wines
River T Estate Wines, Kurow
River-T Estate is a small boutique vineyard with a mix of grape varieties, on the banks of the Waitaki River.
River-T Estate cellar door has the largest stock of Waitaki wines in the world.
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Pop in for the greatest selection of local products, and enjoy a wine tasting with an amazing view of the vineyard.
Excellent Coffee
Oamaru & Waitaki
Where ever you find yourself, you wont find it difficult to find yourself a decent cup of coffee and tasty afternoon treat.
Ostler
Winery
Waitaki Valley,
Distinct and unique vineyard sites - with underlying limestone and alluvial/
greywacke bases - make the Waitaki an exciting wine region of New Zealand.
From select and hand-tended vineyards Ostler wines produce memorable cool climate wines: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and now Gewürztraminer.
The wine making is carried out with as little intervention as possible using the traditional techniques of Burgundy and Alsace, with subtle use of oak.
The results are, indeed, wines of distinction.
Boutique
Retail Therapy
Oamaru
If you are simply wanting to indulge in a little retail therapy then there are an array of boutiques, stores and galleries to delight your artistic or fashion senses.
Be sure to check out Art on Tyne, Housekeepers Design, Presence on Harbour, Tangles, Mrs Hyde, Design Federations, Riverstone Shops, Inspirations and William Bee Merchants to name but a few.
Waitaki
Wine Tours
Oamaru & Waitaki Region
Leaving from Oamaru for a day out (duration is approx 5 hours) up the unique and stunningly scenic Waitaki Valley to visit Boutique vineyards and taste the fruits of their labour.
Tours are small and intimate, so you get to talk to the people behind the labels. Learn some of the history of the area, stopping along the way to visit historic buildings/sites and places of interest.
Everything is included and taken care of, just book and climb aboard our late model van for a memorable day with Waitaki Wine Tours.
