Steampunk

Oamaru’s Victorian district and heritage trail showcases impressive architecture that has been well preserved from the 19th century, as well as many shops and cafes that approximate the atmosphere and decor of the era. There’s plenty of folk shuffling about in cosplay on the streets, in the second-hand book shops and galleries, or prattling around on a penny-farthing.

Built from Oamaru stone, the Elevator building, which originally handled and stored grain, has now been transformed into Steampunk HQ: an interactive arts exhibition that imagines what the Victorians might have created in a future without electricity. We got our tickets at a bargain $5 each from Book Me, which we’ve discovered is a NZ / Aussie equivalent to Group On and used several times since.

After an introduction that explained the concept of steampunk as a sci-fi genre (they compared it to Mad Max), we walked into a room of televisions and were soothed by white noise (this is where the no-electricity thing kind of went out of the window). Whereas in most museums, their displays are alarmed and imprisoned in glass cabinets; here we were free to climb into the machinery. We played an organ that had been refurbished, its low notes replaced with even more ominous synths and effects. We entered a maze of pipes, wearing a trench coat and welding mask. The highlight was probably a light installation called The Portal, which was basically a room of mirrors, colour-changing crystals and sustained chords, which gave the sense of being suspended in mid-air (and time).

In the junkyard we got to crawl through derelict vehicles and test our tetanus injections. You could swing a crane, get at the controls of an old JCB and there was even a jet pack made from a milk carton. Skulls everywhere, rusty plates of steel, metal insects – a great day out for all the family! The White Room video projection in the basement reminded Nicola of the monochrome episode of Twin Peaks that gave her a migraine. The whole thing was really immersive, and if you’re into seeing scrap get transformed into summat terrifying, you’d be mad not to visit if you ever materialise in Oamaru.