If you can imagine it, you can build it with Oamaru Stone

Shape, sculpt, and create with CNC

Oamaru Stone has a uniform, fine-grained texture and warm honey-white colour. It’s soft when first quarried and hardens progressively. That makes it amazing to work with. We have the largest 5-axis CNC machine in New Zealand and one of only two in Australasia. This technical marvel lets us transform raw limestone blocks into virtually any form you can imagine. We’ve already used it in high-profile restoration projects, including the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and Christchurch Cathedral, where intricate architectural details were faithfully recreated.

Endless possibilities

Of course, it’s the new creative opportunities that are really exciting. Pairing Oamaru Stone with contemporary materials like glass, steel, concrete, and modern timber types and finishes creates bold material contrasts that can make an extraordinary impact.

Award-winning architecture

The Borrie House in Papakaio, designed by John Donnelly, is a great example. Its single-level rectangular form combines Ōamaru Stone sawn-face cladding with red cedar panels, columns, and beams. It shows brilliantly how Ōamaru Stone can become a unifying thread through an entire design concept.

Wellington architect Andrew Sexton made Oamaru Stone the defining feature of his award-winning Cashmere Oaks residence in Masterton, which took two prizes at the 2019 NZ Institute of Architects Wellington Architecture Awards – as well as the Supreme Award and multiple Craftsman awards from the Master Builders Association. The judges noted the care and attention to the stone detailing throughout the home.

A natural thermal battery

With energy so expensive these days it’s also good to know that Oamaru Stone is a very effective tool for passive thermal design. Due to its density, it can help maintain a comfortable ambient temperature year-round without mechanical intervention. The stone absorbs warmth through the day and slowly releases it as external temperatures drop overnight.

The flexibility to create

A wide range of face finishes gives you control over texture and light response. For example, you can specify a sawn face for a clean, contemporary look, a split face for tactile drama, or a hand-chiselled for rustic character. Each finish weathers a little differently, and because no two pieces of Ōamaru Stone are exactly alike in colour variation, the result is a surface with a beautiful natural depth and unique individuality.

Oamaru Stone’s standard block size is 650mm x 90mm x 290mm, but the large quarry blocks can be cut to almost any shape or size, either at our quarry or at your site by a stonemason.

Cost-effective nationwide delivery

We deliver directly to your building site anywhere in New Zealand. For easy handling, our blocks are wrapped and placed on custom pallets at our quarry. Our clients consistently comment on the reliability and consistent quality of their deliveries – which is important when you’re working to tight timings and budgets.

Sustainability is built in

As a natural product, Oamaru Stone has a significantly lower environmental footprint than manufactured cladding systems. We operate with a low-emission production process and a zero-waste policy. What’s more, Oamaru Stone needs minimal maintenance and will look great for centuries. Oamaru’s Victorian-era waterfront precinct is a testament to that!

Oamaru Stone works inside and out

You can clad entire facades, define corners, frame windows and doors with decorative mouldings, and create striking columns, balustrades, and garden features. Internally, you can create textured, engraved or sculpted feature walls, fireplace surrounds, range hoods, ornate trim, and even furniture.