Northstar Motel Restaurant & Bar sits at 495A Thames Highway in Oamaru North, combining stylish, affordable motel accommodation with an on-site restaurant and bar. It's a practical, welcoming base for South Island travellers — close to all of Oamaru's shops and activities, and a handy stopover on business trips through the region.
The restaurant and bar serve lunch and dinner seven days a week from a vibrant menu, with quality meals at affordable prices and a great range of New Zealand and Australian wines behind the bar. Breakfast is catered on request, and the whole complex — restaurant and bar included — can be booked out for events, parties and corporate functions with fully catered meals.
The motel units are built around comfort: each offers a choice of a super king size bed or two king singles, a large cosy couch, full kitchen facilities and a modern bathroom. Superior units suit couples, solo and corporate travellers; family units cater for families, groups and sports teams, with two interconnecting units creating a large shared space with privacy when required; and accessible units add wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and lower kitchen benches. Large, double glazed windows with thick curtains keep out the cold.
Facilities extend to a children's room, a games room and an on-site entertainment and bottle store, making the property as well suited to families and sports teams as to couples and corporate guests. With the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, Victorian heritage buildings, the Moeraki Boulders and the Waitaki Lakes all within easy reach, there's plenty to fill the days around a stay.
Oamaru is one of the many gems of New Zealand's South Island — a rural town with a rich streak of Victorian architecture, little blue penguins at the harbour, and beaches and lakes within easy reach. On Thames Highway in Oamaru North, Northstar Motel Restaurant & Bar makes a convenient stop on any South Island itinerary, pairing affordable accommodation with an on-site restaurant and bar that keeps things simple: quality food at affordable prices, seven days a week.
The restaurant and bar serve lunch and dinner every day of the week from what the team describes as a vibrant menu. Breakfast is available too, catered on request — worth arranging the night before if you have an early start planned. Behind the bar sits a great range of New Zealand and Australian wines, enough to turn dinner into a proper evening.
The complex doubles as an events venue. Parties, corporate functions and conferences can all be hosted here, and for larger celebrations you can book out the entire restaurant and bar and enjoy a fully catered meal with that wine list to match. Guests staying at the motel get an obvious bonus at the end of the night: their room is only a short walk away.
Oamaru is also a natural stopover for South Island business trips, and Northstar offers corporate rates and business traveller specials on request.
Every unit is built around a straightforward choice: a super king size bed or two king singles. Add a large cosy couch, full kitchen facilities and a modern bathroom, and you have the essentials of a proper stay rather than just a bed for the night. Large, double glazed windows carry thick curtains to keep out the cold, with flowing organza sheer curtains for privacy — a considered touch on Oamaru's cooler nights.
The elegantly furnished Superior units suit couples, individuals and corporate travellers. Family units provide space for families, groups and sports teams, and two interconnecting units can be opened into one large area with the option of privacy when required. Accessible units offer the modern features of the Superior rooms with the addition of wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and lower kitchen benches.
Beyond the rooms, the property includes a children's room and a games room, plus an on-site entertainment and bottle store for anyone who fancies taking a bottle back to their unit.
The motel sits close to all of Oamaru's shops and activities. In town, the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony lets you meet the world's smallest penguins in their natural environment — the colony nests under the harbour cliffs within walking distance of the town centre, with day and evening tours available. Oamaru's historic Victorian buildings, dating back to the 1860s and many designed by architect John Forrester, give the town the charm of a European village, and a selection is open to the public.
Shoppers and food lovers can stroll the main street's unique shops and galleries, including The Woolstore Galleries and Whitestone Cheese. Forty kilometres south, the Moeraki Boulders lie scattered along the beach — huge round stones formed around 60 million years ago, the largest an astonishing three metres in diameter.
Closer to home, Friendly Bay in the heart of Oamaru is great for fishing, paddling, kayaking and rowing, while the beaches south at Kakanui — Campbell's Bay for swimming and surfing, All Day Bay for golden sand and rock pools — reward a short drive. The Waitaki Lakes of Aviemore, Benmore and Waitaki round out the options for swimming, fishing and a family picnic.
Whether you're passing through, staying for the penguins, or gathering a team for a function, Northstar's blend of seven-day dining, well-equipped rooms and event space makes it an easy base. Call 03 437 1190 to ask about availability, breakfasts or corporate rates.