The Waitaki Valley and Oamaru by Campervan: Limestone Wine Country

Quick summary: The Waitaki Valley is one of New Zealand’s youngest and smallest wine regions, a hidden gem for campervan travellers heading inland from the coast. Vineyards on limestone slopes around Kurow and Duntroon make Pinot Noir and aromatic whites, while Oamaru, at the mouth of the valley, has a beautifully preserved Victorian precinct and a colony of little blue penguins. The valley road continues inland to Omarama and the Lindis Pass, linking the east coast to Central Otago.

At a glance
Where	North Otago, inland from Oamaru
From Christchurch	Around 250 km to Oamaru, then around 70 km to Kurow
From Queenstown	Around 260 km via the Lindis Pass and Omarama
Signature wines	Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling
Best way to taste	A tour, or short hops between overnight stops
Tours	Oamaru tours

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Why include the Waitaki Valley in a campervan trip?

Because it’s on one of the South Island’s great cross-country routes, and it’s still a quiet discovery. The valley’s limestone soils, rare in New Zealand, give its wines a distinctive mineral character, and the cellar doors are small and personal. Along the way are fossil sites, Māori rock art, hydro lakes and the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, while Oamaru adds Victorian architecture, steampunk and penguins.

What is Oamaru like?

Oamaru’s Victorian precinct is one of the best-preserved in New Zealand, built from the creamy local limestone known as Ōamaru stone. Its grand warehouses and banks now hold galleries, bookbinders, cafés and craft shops. At dusk, little blue penguins come ashore at the harbour colony, and the town has embraced steampunk, with a quirky museum celebrating the style. See Oamaru tours.

Where are the wineries?

The vineyards sit on the slopes above the Waitaki River around Kurow and Duntroon, around an hour inland from Oamaru on State Highway 83. There are only a handful of cellar doors, some open by appointment, so check before you go.

How do you taste the Waitaki’s wines without driving?

The wineries are spread along the valley, so the best approaches are:

• Join a tour from Oamaru that includes the valley.
• Stay in Kurow or Duntroon and visit a nearby cellar door in the afternoon, without driving again that day.
• Cycle sections of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, which follows the valley.
• Buy bottles at the cellar door to enjoy later at your campsite.

Is the Waitaki Valley road suitable for an RV?

Yes. State Highway 83 is sealed and runs along a broad, gentle valley, with hydro lakes and campgrounds along the way. Some side roads to fossil sites and lake shores are unsealed, so check your rental terms. Fuel and supplies are limited between Oamaru and Omarama, so fill up in Oamaru.

What else is there to see?

• Elephant Rocks, giant limestone boulders in a farm paddock near Duntroon.
• Takiroa rock art, Māori drawings in a limestone shelter beside the highway.
• The Vanished World fossil trail, showing marine fossils in the limestone.
• The hydro lakes, Waitaki, Aviemore and Benmore, with lakeside campgrounds.
• Moeraki Boulders, around 40 km south of Oamaru on the coast.

Where can you stay?

• Holiday parks in Oamaru, Kurow and Omarama.
• Lakeside campgrounds along the hydro lakes.
• Freedom camping is limited, for certified self-contained vehicles, and only where Waitaki District Council permits it.

Where does the trip go next?

From Omarama, the Lindis Pass leads to Cromwell and Central Otago. See our sister site’s Canterbury and Otago coast route and our South Island wine trail.

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Frequently Asked Questions