Oamaru proving it’s streets ahead
An American flag flutters atop Oamaru’s Victorian Heritage Precinct and the town is enthralled.
In case you have missed it, Oamaru is hosting filming for a Netflix production this week and some believe its time as "Oamawood" has come.
While star-gazing locals have spotted lead actor Florence Pugh in town, the real star is the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust Victorian Precinct, which attracted Netflix in the first place.
Trust co-chairman Graeme Clark said the series vindicated the trust’s founding vision and work over 35 years.
The "exposure" of hosting an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel
East of Eden
had also not been lost on the trust.
Mr Clark said the Netflix crew were clearly "very respectful" of the area and the weather was playing ball "brilliantly" to ensure filming.
"I think we’re very film-friendly ... it’s massive for the town," he said.
Hollywood actress Florence Pugh (centre, in blue), in character as Cathy Ames, walks beside actor Christopher Abbott, who plays her husband Adam Trask, during filming on Sunday in the Oamaru Steam and Rail Society’s railway yard for the Netflix production of East of Eden. PHOTO: LIZ CADOGAN
They had originally anticipated between 200 and 300 cast, crew and extras.They had originally anticipated between 200 and 300 cast, crew and extras.
That number had grown to more than 650.
Civic Trust property manager Jacob Barwick said their social media page had had an unprecedented 105,000 views in the past seven days.
"Pretty much every news outlet has either been in contact or written a story about us," he said.
It had also drawn hundreds of local people to the precinct "who don’t normally come".
"It has really captured people’s imaginations."
Mr Clark said the latest production coincided nicely with a new economic impact report on the value of the precinct.
The Benje Patterson report - commissioned by the Waitaki District Council for the trust - found the precinct was clearly the "key sightseeing destination" for the district and a key economic contributor.
The report noted the area as one of "the best remaining complete Victorian streetscapes in Australasia".
"On top of the $4.3 million spent directly by visitors in the heritage precinct, another $7.4m was indirectly spent by overnight heritage and arts visitors in other parts of Oamaru during 2023," the report said.
In 2023, Oamaru residents spent about $3m within the precinct - the equivalent of more than $200 for each of the town’s 14,350 residents.
Mr Barwick said they could not divulge exact numbers, but the trust and its precinct’s tenants would be directly compensated by "a substantial amount" for the production.
"The money we get paid for the location all gets invested back into the trust to do restoration of the buildings. It’s a vital income stream."
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said the film production company had expressed to the council its appreciation of the "the people on the ground".
This feedback aided what was already a "very positive" image for the district in the film industry.
"The feedback has been really good, but the co-operation and the can-do attitude between the members of the public generally, the Civic Trust and the council, it is really important - it’s great for publicising our district and the economy generally."