ExploreExplore heritage street scenes and marvel at all the treasures and trinkets in the general store, barber and dispensary.
Whitestone City
Whitestone City is a central heritage hub that
invites you to explore Oamaru's Victorian past.
Set in an original grain store built in 1882, and located within New Zealand’s most complete streetscape of Victorian commercial buildings, Whitestone City is not a typical museum - at Whitestone City you can touch and try everything - it brings history to life, and is a must-do while in Oamaru. (#1 on TripAdvisor)
Travel back in time and come explore, play, learn more about Oamaru's history, live a real Victorian experience, play traditional games and ride on the only penny farthing carousel in New Zealand!
What Our Visitors Say
“We had a fabulous time visiting the Whitestone City museum. It was an absolute pleasure to spend a couple of hours here reliving times of long ago and learning the history of Oamaru through the masterful storytelling of the ladies who run the museum.”
Sharon, Australia
“The costumed guides are on hand to impart information, play croquet with, and make your visit individualistic.
You can touch, climb on, and interact with everything in this museum. This is a place where you don't have to worry if your kids draw on the school room slates, or play the pub piano.
Highly recommended.”
Forde, UK
“After reading about this place on Tripadvisor we decided to head to Oamaru - and we weren't disappointed! Everyone loved how hands-on it was, not just looking at stuff and listening. I had a 17 year old and a 5 year old with me, and we all had a blast. Worth every penny."
Horo, New Zealand
“We had an excellent visit with a brilliant guide talking us through the history of the town. The woman who showed us round was extremely enthusiastic and helped us to feel we were back in the 1800s - a real insight into the past. We particularly enjoyed the penny farthing carousel!”
Feejay, UK
“A experience worth every cent. The hosts were lovely and had a lot of information for us. My favorite part was trying on the Victorian clothing and to top it all off we could use our own cameras to take as many amazing photos.”
Nanalie