Oamaru, 120km north of Dunedin on Cape Wanbrow, is the commercial center of northern Otago. The town rose to great prosperity in the 19th C. The climate is warm and dry. Inland from the town are extensive market gardens; beyond these, further inland, is a region of intensive sheep farming.
The white Oamaru limestone worked in many quarries in
the surrounding area was used in the construction of many public buildings in New Zealand and even in Australia. The stone is easy to work when freshly quarried but hardens when exposed to dry air.