gourmet
ATTRACTIONS
Tantalise Your Tastebuds
Oamaru and the Waitaki Region have a range of wonderful eating options and speciality produce to delight your taste buds. From Craft Beers to Award winning cheese; the food alone is worth the trek. Why not make a weekend of it and indulge in some of the best that Oamaru has to offer.
Let the fresh local produce of the Waitaki speak for itself.
Be sure to check out our award winning restaurants.
Having won the gold medal in the 2019’s Beef and Lamb excellence awards, Cucina has been hatted again at the Cuisine Good Food Awards in August 2025.
Dining at Cucina is a must while in Oamaru.
Embark on a Geo Degustation and savour the tastes of the region with South American inspired dishes made with fresh local produce.
​
Here, flavours of Italy, Spain, the Mediterranean and South America are created with local Waitaki ingredients and served with some of the most genuine Kiwi hospitality around.
While Cucina has earned a host of awards since opening in 2016, it remains a ‘come as you are’ kind of spot. Owners Yanina and Pablo, originally from Argentina, wanted to create a restaurant filled with great food, beer and wine, and most importantly, enjoyable times, wherein maintaining a high standard of integrity and showcasing the flavours they grew up with.​
​
Built in a paddock on the family farm, 15 minutes north of Oamaru in North Otago, Riverstone Kitchen has become a destination for food-loving kiwis and international visitors alike.
Supreme winner of Cuisine magazine’s coveted Restaurant of the Year award, putting it firmly on the map.
​
Chef, and Owner Bevin Smith reflects his food ethos in a short, uncluttered menu focusing on local ingredients, with much of the produce sourced locally and from the family’s gardens.
Bevin is passionate about showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer and is a strong advocate of sustainability and locally sourced produce.
​
The restaurant sits alongside Riverstone Country Gift shops, playground, extensive gardens and the newly built Riverstone Castle.
Award Winning
Whitestone Cheese
Clean water, rich soil, quality pastures, a temperate climate & contented cows all make for a premium milk and premium cheese products.
Sample some seriously good handcrafted artisan cheese made right here in Oamaru. Factory tours and tastings available.
Whitestone Cheese
Diner & Deli
Based in the heart of Oamaru, Whitestone Cheese is at the heart of every dish and is a natural extension of the Whitestone Cheese Company.
Explore a fabulous selection of gourmet burgers, infamous cheese rolls and milkshakes. The Deli also has a selection of hand-cut speciality cuts, giftware and a curated selection of deli products that match perfectly with their award-winning cheese.
Del Mar
Del Mar's superb harbour front location is perfectly paired with its casual, family friendly menu featuring seafood, pizza and a fantastic homemade gelato selection.
​
​Perfectly positioned by the sea, Del Mar Eatery and Beach Bar in Ōamaru takes full advantage of its waterside views. With a relaxed beachy vibe, this family-oriented restaurant is just the place to head to for a chilled afternoon or evening any day of the week.
Del Mar’s owners, Yanina and Pablo, are no strangers to the ÅŒamaru dining scene, with Del Mar’s sister restaurants, Cucina and Tees Street, among the best places to eat in town. Originally from Argentina, Yanina and Pablo are true ambassadors for ÅŒamaru, and when they noticed a lack of casual yet stylish family-friendly restaurants in town, Del Mar was born.
The restaurant itself is bright and breezy, just like the seafront outside, and floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of the spectacular views. The decor mirrors the environment from the outside with natural finishings, plenty of blue accents and gorgeous green plant life all around. This all comes together to create a laid-back yet polished look and has proven to be popular with both locals and visitors to the area.
Del Mar
Oamaru Harbour
Scotts
Brewing Co.
Scott's Brewing Company produces New Zealand's only gluten free beer alongside an ever changing array of craft beer made with local grain, South Island hops and Southern Alpine water - The purest ingredients to make premium crafter beer.
​
Craftwork Beers
A small idiosyncratic Belgian-style nano brewery, in the heart of Victorian Oamaru.
Discover a love affair with Belgium beer and traditional brewing techniques. Enjoy an afternoon sampling Farmhouse Ales, Saisons and spontaneously-fermented
'coolship' beers.
River T Wines
River T Estate Wines, Kurow
River-T Estate is a small boutique vineyard with a mix of grape varieties, on the banks of the Waitaki River.
River-T Estate cellar door has the largest stock of Waitaki wines in the world.
​
Pop in for the greatest selection of local products, and enjoy a wine tasting with an amazing view of the vineyard.
Ostler
Winery
Waitaki Valley,
Distinct and unique vineyard sites - with underlying limestone and alluvial/
greywacke bases - make the Waitaki an exciting wine region of New Zealand.
From select and hand-tended vineyards Ostler wines produce memorable cool climate wines: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and now Gewürztraminer.
The wine making is carried out with as little intervention as possible using the traditional techniques of Burgundy and Alsace, with subtle use of oak.
The results are, indeed, wines of distinction.
Waitaki
Wine Tours
Oamaru & Waitaki Region
Leaving from Oamaru for a day out (duration is approx 5 hours) up the unique and stunningly scenic Waitaki Valley to visit Boutique vineyards and taste the fruits of their labour.
Tours are small and intimate, so you get to talk to the people behind the labels. Learn some of the history of the area, stopping along the way to visit historic buildings/sites and places of interest.
Everything is included and taken care of, just book and climb aboard our late model van for a memorable day with Waitaki Wine Tours.
Whisky
The New Zealand Whisky Collection, Oamaru
A few years back, the NZ Whisky Company bought at auction, the last 80,000 litres of cask strength whisky from what was the southern-most distillery in the world.
Head to the cellar door to sample their full range of specialty whiskies including the Oamaruvian and the Dunedin DoubleWood, among many others.
Excellent Coffee
Oamaru & Waitaki
Where ever you find yourself, you wont find it difficult to find yourself a decent cup of coffee and tasty afternoon treat.
