Victorian skills were on display everywhere at Totara Estate yesterday - making a dry stone wall, horseshoes, wool yarn, coppice crafts and even pickles.
It was all part of the ''Victorian Farm Comes Alive'' event which replaced Harvest Home, discontinued after 2011, because it was no longer economic.
This year, the new direction appears to have paid off, and about 800 people were there.
The historic estate came alive with heritage breed farm animals, traditional farm and craft workers, an operating forge, musicians, working vintage machinery, traditional children's fun and games including pony rides and animals to pet, good farm cooking, beer and cider and something to suit pretty much anyone.
While nothing has been decided for next year, Totara Estate property manager Anne Sutherland said more events would be held.
''It's gone really well. In particular, people have said what a lovely day for families, which is really terrific,'' she said.
''We may do something different again next year, to make sure it keeps interesting.''
Oamaru's Allan Ward was demonstrating dry stone wall building with Oamaru stone, a skill he has known since he was 15 years old, working in Britain and New Zealand.
Also a stone carver, he drew good crowds as he explained how the walls were built by shaping the Oamaru stone, which had to be laid a certain way, to stop it eroding.
Between 1.5m and 2m of wall can be built in a day, depending on its size, and Mr Ward is working on a 100m-long wall on a Five Forks property.
''In Victorian times it was a man with an axe, and people never thought much about the time.
''These days people are amazed it takes that long,'' he said.
Events throughout the day were announced by honorary town crier Reverend James, also known as Jim Howden.
The Oamaru man slipped into the Reverend James' role - an itinerant preacher travelling between Dunedin and Akaroa - last year.
He was the announcer at The Shindig, at last year's Oamaru Heritage Celebrations, and was invited to take on the role at yesterday's Totara Estate event.
''I'm much cheaper than a sound system,'' he said.
Other items of interest were women from the Whitestone Weaving Club, spinning and weaving wool, a farrier, swaggers around their fire, cooking demonstrations and suitably-garbed Victorian women cooking up relishes and pickles.
