Where is Oamaru North?

Oamaru North is the residential area above Oamaru's town centre, climbing the slopes toward the Oamaru Domain, in the Waitaki district of North Otago.

What is the Oamaru Domain?

The Oamaru Domain is the main recreation reserve in northern Oamaru, with sports fields, an outdoor pool, gardens and walking tracks connecting to the Bushy Beach penguin viewing area below the North Hill.

Where can you see penguins near Oamaru North?

Bushy Beach, accessible via the Cape Wanbrow walkway from the domain area, is a yellow-eyed penguin habitat where birds come ashore in the late afternoon. Little blue penguins nest at the harbour precinct.

What schools are in Oamaru North?

North End School is the local state primary, with Waitaki Boys' High School and Waitaki Girls' High School in the town centre serving the secondary years.

How do I get from Oamaru to Oamaru North?

Oamaru North is within walking and cycling distance of the town centre, uphill via Tees Street or Thames Highway, with the domain accessible from multiple streets.

Which schools are in zone for Oamaru North?

Children living in Oamaru North are in zone for Pembroke School (Oamaru), Oamaru Intermediate. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Oamaru North?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Oamaru North, Otago | Postcode, Population & Property Values

Living in Oamaru North

Oamaru North is the residential quarter spreading up the slopes above the town centre toward the Oamaru Domain, where the streets climb away from the harbour flat and the houses gain the elevation that gives the western windows a view over the town's famous whitestone skyline toward the sea. Around 3,500 people live in the neighbourhood, in the mix of Victorian villas, mid-century bungalows and more recent builds that the hillside produces when a town has been continuously inhabited since the 1860s.

The Oamaru Domain anchors the northern residential area with the town's main recreation ground: sports fields, the outdoor swimming pool, the gardens and the walking tracks that connect the domain to the Bushy Beach penguin colony below. The little blue penguins and the yellow-eyed penguins that come ashore at Bushy Beach make this end of Oamaru considerably more animated at dusk than the whitestone precinct's gallery hours suggest is possible.

The geography puts the North Hill's views and the Cape Wanbrow walkway's coastal panorama within walking distance, while the Victorian precinct's cafes and the town's full services occupy the flat below. Oamaru is the kind of town where the residents can simultaneously claim proximity to genuine wildlife and a flat white of serious quality, and mean both.

North End School serves the local years; Waitaki Boys' and Girls' High School handle the secondary run.

Is Oamaru North a good place to live?

Oamaru North is home to roughly 5,493 people across 12.0 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Oamaru North scores 74 out of 100, with a safety score of 90/100 and 10% green space.

Schools: Oamaru North has 8 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $421K, and weekly rent typically sits around $304.

Lifestyle: Oamaru North has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 6.8°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Oamaru North is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety90
Amenities100
Schools63
Housing Affordability89
Green space32
Community56
Transport19

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $421K
Median Weekly Rent: $304/wk
Median HH Income: $61K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): -2.1%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Waitaki District →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Oamaru North?: Oamaru North is the residential area above Oamaru's town centre, climbing the slopes toward the Oamaru Domain, in the Waitaki district of North Otago.
What is the Oamaru Domain?: The Oamaru Domain is the main recreation reserve in northern Oamaru, with sports fields, an outdoor pool, gardens and walking tracks connecting to the Bushy Beach penguin viewing area below the North Hill.
Where can you see penguins near Oamaru North?: Bushy Beach, accessible via the Cape Wanbrow walkway from the domain area, is a yellow-eyed penguin habitat where birds come ashore in the late afternoon. Little blue penguins nest at the harbour precinct.
What schools are in Oamaru North?: North End School is the local state primary, with Waitaki Boys' High School and Waitaki Girls' High School in the town centre serving the secondary years.
How do I get from Oamaru to Oamaru North?: Oamaru North is within walking and cycling distance of the town centre, uphill via Tees Street or Thames Highway, with the domain accessible from multiple streets.
Which schools are in zone for Oamaru North?: Children living in Oamaru North are in zone for Pembroke School (Oamaru), Oamaru Intermediate. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.
How do I check my school zone in Oamaru North?: Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Oamaru North

Schools in zone for Oamaru North

Children living in Oamaru North have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

Pembroke School (Oamaru)
Contributing · roll 234 · decile 3
Oamaru Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 291 · decile 5

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Oamaru North. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Oamaru North that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

Waitaki Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 436 · decile 6 · 1.5 km away
St Kevins College (Oamaru)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 485 · 1.7 km away
Ardgowan School
Full Primary · roll 128 · decile 6 · 3.0 km away
Waitaki Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 407 · decile 6 · 3.5 km away
Te Pākihi o Maru
Contributing · roll 123 · decile 6 · 3.9 km away
St Joseph's School (Oamaru)
Full Primary · roll 140 · decile 5 · 4.0 km away

Explore Oamaru North

Things to do(12)

North Otago Netball Centre

Milner Park

Orana Park

Victoria Cooper Academy of Dance

Oamaru Jockey Club

Roberts Park

Meadowbank Bowling Club

Oamaru Racecourse

Centennial Park, Oamaru

Galleon Complex

Excelsior petanque

A&P Showgrounds

Parks & green spaces(4)

Milner Park

Orana Park

Roberts Park

Centennial Park, Oamaru

Healthcare

Pharmacies and clinics for this area haven’t been catalogued yet.

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	20.08	12.72	1.25	11.46
☀️ Feb	20.5	12.23	1.69	10.85
🍂 Mar	17.66	9.97	2.73	9.1
🍂 Apr	15.96	8.34	1.94	7.87
🍂 May	13.1	5.5	1.19	6.49
❄️ Jun	10.81	4.18	1.75	5.35
❄️ Jul	10.76	3.56	2.64	6.66
❄️ Aug	11.32	2.77	1.08	8.02
🌸 Sep	14.24	5.54	2.79	8.66
🌸 Oct	15.07	6.72	3.81	10.23
🌸 Nov	15.7	8.73	2.21	10.83
☀️ Dec	18.74	11.59	2.86	10.36

Living in Oamaru North

Is Oamaru North a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Oamaru North

Schools in zone for Oamaru North

Pembroke School (Oamaru)

Oamaru Intermediate

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

Waitaki Boys' High School

St Kevins College (Oamaru)

Ardgowan School

Waitaki Girls' High School

Te Pākihi o Maru

St Joseph's School (Oamaru)

Explore Oamaru North

🎯Things to do(12)

North Otago Netball Centre

Milner Park

Orana Park

Victoria Cooper Academy of Dance

Oamaru Jockey Club

Roberts Park

Meadowbank Bowling Club

Oamaru Racecourse

Centennial Park, Oamaru

Galleon Complex

Excelsior petanque

A&P Showgrounds

🌳Parks & green spaces(4)

Milner Park

Orana Park

Roberts Park

Centennial Park, Oamaru

🏥Healthcare

Eat & Drink in Oamaru North

🍽️Places to eat & drink(16)

Indian & Nepalese Kitchen

Pizza Hut Oamaru

Cafe 469 & Motel

BX Foods

Oamaru McDonalds

Courtyard Restaurant

Jumbo's Burger Bar

Pita Pit Oamaru

Whitestone Cheese Diner and Deli

Captain Burns

Northstar Motel Restaurant & Bar

Delectables

Couplands Oamaru

Galleon

Chen's Wok

Phoenix complex

Tradies & Services in Oamaru North

🔧Tradies & services(19)

Anvil Engineers Ltd

Apex Engineering Ltd

Beaurepaires

Bridgestone Tyre Centre

Calect Electrical

COF and WOF

Dee's Carpet and House Cleaning

Doran Brick N Block

ExAxis

Howler Automotive Limited

Inex Interiors

Kiwi Concrete

Millennium Joinery

MORTIMERS GARAGE

North Otago Roofing

Peter Keown Automotives

SJ Details

SouthRoads Oamaru

Whitestone Panel Paint & Coach

Things to do(12)

Parks & green spaces(4)

Healthcare

Places to eat & drink(16)

Tradies & services(19)

Shops(14)

Beauty & fitness(15)

Professional services(1)

Places to stay(11)