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The name Oamaru apparently derives from Maori words meaning the place of Maru (compare with Timaru). The exact identity of Maru remains open to conjecture.

European settlers arrived in the Oamaru area in the 1850s. The town grew as a service centre for the agricultural/pastoral hinterland between the Kakanui Range of hills and the Waitaki River. For many years a commercial and fishing port nestled under Cape Wanbrow.

Many public buildings make use of a form of local limestone, quarried especially near Weston, and known as " Oamaru stone". The southern part of Oamaru's main business district is justifiably regarded as one of New Zealand's most impressive streetscapes, due to the many prominent buildings constructed from this material. This and another part of the town close to the harbour have been preserved as historic precincts.

A colony of penguins is located in the southern part of the town. These residents attract ecotourists to Oamaru.

Many of the early works of Janet Frame, who grew up in the town, reflect Oamaru conditions and Oamaruvians. Other literary associations include those with Owen Marshall and Fiona Farrell Poole .

Oamaru is the eastern gateway to the Mackenzie BasinThe Mackenzie Basin, popularly and traditionally known as the Mackenzie Country is a roughly elliptical and elevated area (700m/3000 ft above sea level) near the centre of the South Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles), via the Waitaki Valley.

ShibbolethThe Hebrew word Shibboleth literally means "torrent of water". In the Bible, the term was used to distinguish members of a group whose dialect lacked a "sh" sound, using an "s" in its place, from members of a group whose dialect included such a sound.: The local southern dialect of MaoriMori (or Maori is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand. History Maori was probably brought to New Zealand by Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands who sailed over in canoes. In the last 200 years the Maori language has had a very tumult ignores the first A in the name (AUH-muh-ROO). Sadly, northern Maori speakers tend to regard this (correct) variant as incorrect, preferring to stress the A (o-UH-muh-ROO). It is thus possible to tell whether the speaker is from Otago or further north.