Oamaru Fuel Depots

An excellent Whites Aviation photo of the fuel depots and goods yard at Oamaru taken in 1956. National Library of New Zealand. https://natlib.govt.nz/ 

The township of Oamaru has always been a service town. From its earliest days to the present it has provided goods and services to farmers along the coast and inland up the Waitaki Valley. It also had good road, rail and sea transport links that were used to carry the vast amounts of wool, grain and meat produced in the district.

Petrol and other fuels were originally shipped in drums and tins but as the demand for petrol increased in the 1920's and 1930's oil companies began to develop bulk fuel distribution systems for their products. Petrol, Kerosene and other petroleum based products were imported into New Zealand by ship and stored in large fuel storage tanks at the major ports. It was then transported to smaller fuel depots around the country by coastal shipping, road or by rail. The fuel was then distributed to local outlets by truck. 

Like many other service towns in New Zealand, Oamaru had a number of small fuel depots. Three fuels depots were located at Friendly Bay in Oamaru Harbour. Operated by The Shell Company of New Zealand Ltd, Vacuum Oil Coy Pty Ltd (Mobil) and Caltex Oil N.Z. Ltd these depots were used to store and distribute fuel, oils and other petroleum based products across the Waitaki.

Oamaru Harbour in 1936. The relatively new fuel depots can just be seen in the middle of the photo. Whites Aviation - National Library of New Zealand. https://natlib.govt.nz/

A close up from the previous photo showing the Shell, Mobil  and Caltex fuel depots.

For the first few decades fuel and petroleum products were transported to the fuel depots by rail before being distributed by road. 

In 1953 Shell New Zealand completed construction of the large bulk fuel tanks at their depot and in December of that year their coastal oil tanker M.S. Tanea began calling at Oamaru Harbour. Fuel and petroleum products were unloaded at Holmes Wharf and transferred by pipeline to their tanks. 

Shell New Zealands Coastal Tanker M.S. Tanea. Photo from Helderline.com.

M.S. Tanea was a regular visitor over its eleven years of service with Shell in New Zealand. With the opening of Marsden Point oil refinery in 1964, new oil tankers were introduced on New Zealand's shipping routes. Unfortunately these new tankers were too large for Oamaru Harbour. M.S. Tanea continued calling at Oamaru until 1965 when Holmes Wharf was upgraded and the pipeline used to transfer fuel from the wharf to the Shell depot was removed.

For fuel transported by rail the fuel depots were served by a single dead end private siding that was located between the western boundary of the fuel depots and Oamaru goods yard. The siding was accessed from a set of points at the south end of the goods siding.

Section of 1971 Map of Oamaru showing the location of the fuel depots and siding. Lands and Survey Department - National Library of New Zealand. https://natlib.govt.nz/

A 1959 New Zealand Railways drawing showing the private siding for Caltex. Archives New Zealand - Dunedin Office.

A 1976 New Zealand Railways drawing of the new goods shed and yard alterations. The drawing shows the layout of the fuel depot siding. Archives New Zealand - Dunedin Office.

During my research I was only able to find documentation to show that Shell and Caltex used the fuel siding but couldn't determine if Mobil also used the siding.

Each of the fuel depots consisted of a variety of tanks and buildings for the storage of fuel and other petroleum products in bulk and in barrels and tins.  

An excursion train hauled by a small steam shunter D16 from the Waitaki Farmers Freezing Works at Pukeuri passes the fuel siding at the goods yard at Oamaru. Unknown date and photographer.

Shell had two large bulk fuel tanks at their site while Caltex had two smaller sized bulk fuel tanks. Documents from the archives show that Caltex unloaded tank wagons at their depot and later requested permission to install a raised platform to assist staff in unloading tank wagons.  

A 1965 letter from Caltex Oil (N.Z.) Ltd to the New Zealand Railways requesting approval to erect a raised walkway at their siding. Archives New Zealand - Dunedin Office.

In early 1981 New Zealand Railways approached Caltex and Shell asking if they wished to renew their private siding rights. Both Caltex and Shell declined to renew with Caltex also advising they would be closing their Oamaru Fuel Depot later in the year. After the siding rights expired on the 31st of May 1981 the private siding was closed.

Of the three fuel depots originally at Friendly Bay only one remains. McKeown Group is a fuel and chemical distribution business that operates from the former Shell and Mobil depot sites. The former Caltex site is now a camping ground.

While some of the area where the fuel siding was located has been redeveloped as a fuel stop there are still some interesting industrial and rail archeology to see.

Oamaru Steam and Rail's preserved railway line to Oamaru Harbour crossing Waterfront Road. The remains of the old connection leading to the goods yard and the siding for the fuel depots can still be seen in the road. 20/10/2021. 

The location of the private siding at the western side of the fuel depots. 20/10/2021.

The rear of the former Shell Fuel Depot at Oamaru Harbour. 20/10/2021.

Old pipe work still in the ground at the location of the bulk fuel tanks at the former Shell depot. 20/10/2021.

I have really enjoyed researching this part of Oamaru's industrial history. A big thank you to the staff at Archives New Zealand's Dunedin Office for dragging out old, dusty New Zealand Railways files, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage's New Zealand History website nzhistory.govt.nz and Gavin McLean for his excellent book Kiwitown's Port - The Story of Oamaru Harbour.

And that's about it.