With Oamaru’s historic town centre and port in the running for national landmark status, the town’s annual Victorian Heritage Celebrations took on extra importance at the weekend, with top-hats, corsets and twirly-moustaches to the fore.
Events this year included hand trolley racing, a Victorian garden party in the Oamaru Public Gardens, a grand street parade, penny-farthing racing championships, all culminating in yesterday’s Victorian Fete, where thousands of visitors, dressed in finery of a bygone age, watched stone-cutting competitions, jugglers, street performers and morris dancers in the Oamaru historic precinct.
People came from all over.
One particularly keen participant, Janice Barker, drove from her Waikaouiti home to and from Oamaru last week to pick up her Victorian outfit, then down to Dunedin on Saturday to catch the train back to Oamaru for the celebrations.
Taking the train was "just like a real step back in time", she said.
And she certainly got a lot of attention as the only one on the train dressed in Victorian garb.
"I’ve never done anything like that ever before. And I thought, ‘If I go on the train, I actually might just get dressed up and do the whole thing’."
Event co-ordinator Ev Deans was also thrilled with the weekend.
Most of the ticketed events were booked out and crowds were up at associated events too.
"We had great weather for the garden party, the weather held out for the parade, and Sunday’s fete was buzzing."
Nearby businesses, like The Tees St Cafe, had reported a very busy weekend too, he said.
Last month, the Oamaru Historic Town Centre and Port was nominated for National Historic Landmark status by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
A spokesperson said the organisation had received a "pleasing number" of submissions to date and would gladly take more before submissions closed on Wednesday.
