Oamaru: New Zealand’s
living Victorian town| 26 September 2014 | $55.00 | Penguin
In Oamaru: New
Zealand’s living Victorian town, writer Paul Sorrell and photographer Graham
Warman capture the unique character of a town where locals get about on penny
farthings and parade in everything from bonnets and bustles to steampunk-inspired
costumes.
Oamaru’s
outstanding architectural heritage and the fascinating characters who choose to
live a Victorian-themed lifestyle make this one of New Zealand’s most colourful
towns. The people, places and events that lend Oamaru its authentic character
are celebrated in this special book.
Ornately
decorated whitestone buildings that in the 1800s housed banks, hotels and grain
stores have been lovingly restored and become home to thriving artisan
businesses – including brewers and whisky makers, a bookbinder, a soap maker, a
working woolstore, a baker and a textile cooperative – that have transformed
this South Island centre into one of the world’s best examples of a living
Victorian town.
Stroll
along bustling Harbour and Tyne streets and you’re likely to encounter locals
bedecked in nineteenth-century outfits. Visit during the annual Victorian fête
and you could easily think you’ve slipped back 150 years in time as women in
crinolines and gentlemen wearing fancy waistcoats and top hats parade through
the streets or gather for croquet and traditional high tea. Boasting more than
just a collection of well-preserved historic buildings, Oamaru is a Victorian
town at work.
Oamaru
attracts international and local visitors both for its carefully preserved architecture
and Victorian character and increasingly its steampunk attractions (Jules Verne
meets industrial gothic). Locals hope to one day have Oamaru designated a World
Heritage site.
With
recipes from celebrated local restaurants, colourful insights into the variety
of artisan businesses that call the town home and an in-depth look at the
extraordinary phenomena of the steampunk movement, Oamaru: New Zealand’s living Victorian town showcases the best the area has to offer and proves
that Oamaru truly is a town with something for everyone.
About the authors
Paul Sorrell is a writer, editor and wildlife photographer based
in Dunedin.
He
has collaborated three times previously with photographer Graham
Warman,
on his first book, the best-selling Fleurs Place (Penguin, 2008), on
Trail:
Riding the Otago Central Rail Trail (Penguin, 2011) and on Peninsula:
Exploring
the Otago Peninsula (Penguin, 2013).
Graham Warman is an award-winning photographer with offices in
both
Dunedin
and Central Otago. He trained in London, learning from some
of
the UK’s leading commercial photographers, and now specialises in
architectural
and advertising photography. His architectural images have
helped
win awards for many of his clients, and his photography has been
featured
in magazine articles as well as culinary and travel books. www.
grahamwarman.com
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