The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Given the facts of geography and topography the shortest distance between Ōamaru and Dunedin is via SH1, a journey that takes about 80 minutes if you concentrate. But after you have done it several hundred times it is no longer fun.
Join us (Audrey, Audrey’s Mum and me) for a journey that takes a lot longer, and will take you to places – some dark and terrifying – and to a little-known corner of New Zealand.
Actually the journey is from Ōamaru’s Victorian artificial walled harbour, to the tip of the artificial mole at Aramoana at the entrance to Otago Harbour, the idea being to take as many coastal byways and detours as we could.
The first leg was from Ōamaru via the coast road, through Kākānui and on to join SH1 at Waianakarua.
This is a fantastic drive, with pounding, crashing surf and sandy beaches alongside a road that pretty much hugs the Pacific all the way even though it keeps slipping into the ocean and the local council has to keep propping it up. This has been a historic issue and there have been several attempts by council to close the road, but locals revolted. Don’t expect this issue to go away.
Like so many things in Ōamaru, Beach Road is undersold and finding it from our start point at the harbour is not easy. It should be promoted as a tourist route.
Along the way there are reminders that moa once roamed and were caught, cooked and eaten here.
Kākānui is a former holiday town of two halves divided by the Kākānui River and a sizeable lagoon. Old Kākānui is north of the river, new Kākānui is south. This was once famous, luscious, Kākānui hothouse tomato territory with glasshouses to the horizon, but supermarket demands saw price become more important than quality and today there is only one significant practitioner of the art of growing Kākānui hothouse tomatoes.
Our drive along Beach Road, then
