Where to Stay in Oamaru

There are the usual hotels and B&Bs in Oamaru.  We opted for something different.  We stayed at the Chillawhile Backpackers Hostel, situated at the north end of town in an old Victorian Mansion.  One of the cool things about Chillawhile is that they have an art gallery – people who stay there are given a board or canvas and access to paints, and creativity is encouraged.  

http://www.chillawhile.co.nz/ 

We had a private room (rather than a dorm), with four beds (so we had a lot of choice!).  There are kitchens, shared bathrooms, a piano, lounge areas, and the art room.  And, of course, paintings hanging everywhere.

My painting is titled “When Penguins Dream” – my happy, Mona-Lisa-smiling little blue penguin is dreaming of warm waters, a colorful tail like a Carnival costume, and maybe even thinking of the Caribbean.