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Oamaru Harbour Board

Articles

Ōamaru Harbour

Oamaru Harbour

Ports were the beachheads of colonial expansion. No town could prosper without one. Ōamaru Harbour, which closed to shipping in 1974, is the best place in the country to see how and why all New Zealanders once depended so heavily on sea transport. Read the full article

Page 3 - Colonial beachhead

The disastrous storm of 1868 forced Ōamaru to invest in the construction of expensive concrete breakwaters and new larger

Page 4 - Deep-water port

Oamaru's shipping tonnages rose after the First World War, but the port faced tough times as coastal shipping slumped from the

Page 5 - Ōamaru Harbour after 1974

Although Ōamaru no longer has an active port, tourism has brought new opportunities to the town and its

Oamaru's famous architect Thomas Forrester designed this delightful Venetian-influenced building for the town's Harbour Board.