Ring us
+64 9 352 8417
Answered from about 3pm, Wednesday to Sunday. It sits on the pass, so whoever's plating answers it.
Talk to us · 1 Esplanade, Oamaru
Contact and bookings
at the Esplanade
Contact and bookings for dinner, a seat at the poker table or a private evening all run through this page. Ring us, write to us, or send the form below and we'll take it from there.
Reach us
Ring, write or wander in
Three ways to get hold of us, one warm room at the end of all of them. For anything tonight, the phone is fastest.
Write to us
happydaydreams@gmail.com
Read between lunch prep and service. We do write back.
Find us
1 Esplanade, South Hill,
Oamaru 9400, New Zealand
When we're open
Kitchen Wed–Sun, 5pm–10.30pm.
Bar till late.
Poker nights Thu–Sat from 7pm.
Evenings are 18+.
Same-night table? Ring rather than write. We can tell you at a glance what the night's got left.
Book or ask
Send us the details
One form covers the lot: dinner bookings, poker night seats, private evenings and anything you're not sure how to phrase.
We reply
within a day
within a day
Rather talk it through?
Ring +64 9 352 8417 mid-afternoon onwards. Poker night bookings for Saturdays go a few days out, so don't leave it to Friday afternoon.
Then what?
What happens after you hit send
Nothing automatic sits between you and us. Your note lands with the same people who'll be cooking dinner and dealing poker that night.
01
It reaches a person
The form lands in our inbox and the phone lands in a hand. Either way, one of us deals with it.
02
We come back to you
Usually before the evening starts, by email or a quick ring. Poker seats get a firm yes or a waitlist spot, since each table only holds eight.
03
In by quarter to
Your table waits under your name; unclaimed poker seats go back to the room at quarter to seven.
Changed your mind about the date? Just reply to our confirmation and we'll shuffle things around.
Getting here
The lit windows at the far end of the waterfront
We're on the South Hill end of the Esplanade, looking straight at Friendly Bay. If you can smell the sea, you've basically arrived.
- Free parking along the Esplanade, right outside the door
- A ten-minute flat walk from the Victorian precinct and Harbour Street
- The little blue penguin colony sits just down the hill. Dusk viewing pairs well with a late dinner
- Taxis know the spot: say Happy Daydreams on the Esplanade and you're away
Good to know
Access, allergies and the age thing
Step-free way in. The front door has a single step. Round the side, the deck door is level. Ring us from the car park and we'll get it open and meet you there.
Food needs. Coeliac, dairy-free, vegan, the whole list: mention it in the form and the kitchen plans for it before you arrive. Same goes for the late plates in the card room.
And the age one: evenings run 18+ across the whole house, which is how the card room keeps its licence. The kids can hear about it when they're older.
While you're deciding
What an evening here looks like
All of it ten minutes' walk from town, most of it warmer than outside.
Before you ask
The questions we get weekly
Short answers to the usual ones. Something else on your mind? The form above or a quick ring sorts it.
Quicker by phone
+64 9 352 8417 — afternoons are best. For anything tonight, this beats the form.
A day or two covers most dinners on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays, Saturdays and poker night seats want a few days more. And if it's already tonight: ring us and we'll look at the board.
Hold one through the form or by phone. Seats get called at 6.45 sharp and cards run from seven, eight seats a table. Miss the call and your seat goes to the waitlist, so come on time or ring ahead.
Eight of you is a whole poker table, which is easy to arrange and a very good night. Bigger than that, or the whole room for something private: Monday and Tuesday are our dark nights, so talk to us early and we'll build it around you.
No hassle at all. Coeliac, dairy-free and vegan all get planned at prep time when you flag them in the form. The late menu in the card room has options too, so nobody goes hungry mid-hand.
Yes, across the whole house from five o'clock, diners included. Bring ID if you're the type who gets asked. Daytime is a different story, so ring us about family visits.
Tables held
till 6.45
till 6.45
Tables, seats
and silly questions welcome
Dinner, a poker seat, the whole room on a dark night. Send the form or ring +64 9 352 8417 and we'll sort it out properly.
Kitchen Wed–Sun from 5pm · cards Thu–Sat from 7pm · evenings 18+