Pinky's Tots: ANZ 2011 (3) - Timaru - Oamaru

We left Christchurch at around 9am with the view of perching at Dunedin by the end of the day.

Our first stop would be Timaru for lunch. Between Timaru and Christchurch is laid with sheep farm land. The Canterbury plains indeed reminds one of the typical English countryside.

TIMARU

Timaru has been constructed on rolling hills created from the lava flows of the extinct Mt Horrible volcano, which last erupted many thousands of years ago. The result is that most of the main streets are undulating, a clear contrast with the flat landscape of the Canterbury Plains to the north. This volcanic rock is used for the construction of local "bluestone" buildings.

Caroline Bay beach is a popular recreational area located close to Timaru's town centre, just to the north of the substantial port facilities. Beyond Caroline Bay, lies the town centre; a very nice place for shopping.

After much look around, we decided to pounce on Fusion Restaurant at 64 Bay Hill simply we saw that it has been awarded with some prizes on quality food. Initially we wanted to go to Monteith next door as recommended by Lonely Planet and we were glad we did not go as its mainly pub which not necessary suitable for the kids. I must say, it was one of the best western meal we had during the trip.

OAMARU

Oamaru was kinda different from Timaru in a sense that it is more Victorian than the latter. It just gave me the impression that the town had its heyday during the Victorian Age through to the first 20 years of the last century.

We had coffee at the Steam as recommended by Lonely Planet. However, it fell below our expectations as its relativlely average as compared to other places.

Another disappointment is the Blue Penguin sanctuary. The sanctuary is very sparse and can hardly see any penguins around. I personally think it was a cutthroat.

Having said that, one think I learnt from Oamaru is the existence of Steampunk.Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United States—that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology, or futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned them, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology includes such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the contemporary authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld and China Mieville.