5 minute read

ROSS THORBY: BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED… STEAMPUNK

from PONSONBY NEWS - AUGUST '23, page 81

Article from: PONSONBY NEWS - AUGUST '23

HOROSCOPES: MISS PEARL NECLIS ...

The Canterbury landscape is a world away from the scenery of the North Island.

Highway One bridges, numerous rivers whose banks are bordered with grey shale left here from ancient glaciers that still snake along primordial routes from the Alps to the sea. The road south leads to Oamaru – the place of my birth. We had left when I was still in a romper suit, moving to the other end of the country – the Bay of Islands and what was known then as the ‘winterless north'.

I have returned a couple of times over the intervening years to North Otago and this time it was out of curiosity for what Oamaru has now become. Reviews of the town’s metamorphosis into one of the South Island’s newest tourist traps – beguiling architecture, South Island charm and of course the famous cheese roll.

The extensive area of Victorian buildings which make up what is now called the 'Victorian Quarter', hails from a time gone by. When other cities and towns in this great nation of ours flourished and so-called ‘progressive' developers pulled down the old and replaced with the new, Oamaru remained in a time warp.

Its prime building era was the 19th Century. Oamaru was wealthy, a Victorian deep water port with a proximity to that yellow ketamine – gold. The Otago gold rush really put the settlement on the map. Immigrants from all around the world flocked to the area. The Chinese as gold miners first then market gardeners, speculators for the mining, and fledging farmers to eek out an existence on the sheep stations in the tussocky highlands of Otago.

There were few trees to build the public edifices of the socialclimbing metropolis, but what there was in abundance was stone. The indigenous Oamaru stone, a creamy white, tough limestone became the backbone of the settlement and any building or reputable residence was built of it.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the boom was over.

The gold rush slackened and soon after the exodus began. People melted away, some to the more modern port of Timaru, others to the larger metropolis of Christchurch and some further up the country and across the Strait to the warmer climes of the North Island. With them, they took their money and left Oamaru with its fine buildings, its opera house, its grand Town Hall and its churches bereft of people to fill them.

Soon, anybody with ambition had left Oamaru, and then even we left. Like the Beverly Hillbillies, we packed up our car with our worldly possessions and traipsed north to a new existence in the Bay of Islands and what turned out to be a brighter and warmer future. Oamaru was left with little population, little money and little future, literally a huge, grand white-stone elephant.

Fortunately, without appeal to developers, there were no great architectural carbuncles erected to replace the grand banking institutions and soaring stone structures that had accommodated those grandiose aspirations. The fine architecture had fallen into a dissolute coma, but then something happened… Steampunk.

A small group of townsfolk had already begun restoring the Victorian Quarter and were putting the town back on the map and into the consciousness of a generation fleeing the overpriced real estate markets of the north and who were rediscovering and embracing the area’s history and architecture.

Subsequently, it was also discovered by those interested in the Steampunk Revolution – a term coined overseas in the 1980s, based on imagining inventions that the Victorians may have created for today’s modern world. Think cars and all manner of household conveniences, but all run by steam. Today, the World Headquarters of Steampunk is recognised as Oamaru. Here, in a little corner of Aotearoa, miles away from the rest of the world, but the centre for some.

The town is also a repository of various props from the Mad Max and Weta Workshop movies, new and old inventions and a culture of little round sunglasses, long beards, top knots and Victorian costumes, amongst the established boutique breweries, barbershops and retro-antique establishments.

Regular events and festivals celebrating the movement bring visitors from all over the world and the revitalisation of the North Otago town is well underway. Money is again flowing into the area and in partnership with a progressive Town Council and various trusts that now own a large section of the 'Old Quarter', the once forgotten town is back on the map and enjoying a new ‘gold rush'.

Oamaru has a vibe. It has its mojo back. Oh, and it also has penguins. Welcome to New Zealand’s newest little capital. (ROSS THORBY)  PN

Port By The Glass Matched With Tapas By The Fireside

How delicious does that sound – a glass of gorgeous port matched with one of our fresh tapas whilst you enjoy the warmth from the fireside at Dida’s.

We have a brilliant range of ports available by the glass, including those from the family owned port legends at Taylors and Fonseca, all of which match well with a large number of items from our menu. There are so many ways you could approach an evening with port – here’s how we’d do it.

Start with a tall Taylors Crisp Dry White port and East Imperial Tonic. White port is made in just the same way that red is, the sweet fruity nature of the white port a perfect base for a white port and tonic. A refreshing lower abv start to the evening. Alongside this, start with the calamari, the salty tang and crisp batter just perfect with your white port and tonic.

From there, move onto the full bodied and fruity ports. Think ruby or late bottled vintage ports. Styles that are fruity and generous and that match well with the lamb skewers and meatballs. We can either serve these ports at room temperature or why not try the ruby slightly chilled to enhance the sweet fruity style.

It’s then time for the rich and mellow nutty port styles, those which have spent more time in barrels. Ranging in colour and style, in this category you’ll find your tawny ports. We suggest you start with Fonseca Tawny and then move into Taylor’s 10-year-old Tawny to experience both styles. These styles of port match beautifully with cheese. The eggplant stuffed with provolone and then perhaps a cheese board with a host of different cheeses.

Now that’s one rather delicious sounding evening of port – small plates of delicious food and fireside dining. We can’t wait to see you during August to create your bespoke experience.

Where Wine Meets Food

Convivially yours, the Dida's Wine Lounge encourages leisurely engagements with the comprehensive wine list and the ever changing, always innovative food menu – the small-plates style cuisine and the superb skills of our talented culinary team, who work hard to pair perfect morsels with the multiple by-the-glass options of local and imported and hardto-find wines.

Open: Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-10pm.  PN

DIDA'S WINE LOUNGE, 60 Jervois Road, T: 09 376 2813, www.didaswinelounge.co.nz