Kiwitown's port

de Gavin McLean

A politician inspecting Oamaru's first wharves prophesied that its docks would one day rival those of London. The 'progress industry' of the late nineteenth century, fuelled by the frozen meat trade, was reshaping New Zealand's destiny. Oamaru built its entire port from scratch, bankrupting itself in the process and being condemned by the Financial Times in London for constructing 'works quite beyond the needs of their business... in the true colonial way.' In this beautifully illustrated book, the author revisits his hometown. He shows how its tempestuous history demonstrates our dependence on the sea. The need for a sheltered port ('breakwaters or bust!'), the need to dredge ever-deeper harbours as ships increased in size, the need to attract 'Home' boats loading cargo for London, the need to pay for it all, have given way to a region now based on viticulture, dairying and tourism. As the author says, 'Today's heritage object is yesterday's developer's dream.'