According to road trip law, it is crucial that you follow any diversion that promises to lead you astray from your intended path. So say us, anyway. This is how we wound up in Oamaru, hungry and looking for snacks. It had such an interesting Victorian look we decided to walk around. Then, turning a corner, I saw a zeppelin.
Naturally we had to see what that was about.
Naturally we had to see what that was about.
Standing in front of a shabby stone building with the words STEAMPUNK HQ written across the second story, at first we weren't sure it was a real thing. Maybe someone with a sense of humor decided to dress up some old, abandoned property. But it was a real thing, and we'd come this far, so we bought tickets to go inside.
Its' hard to know where to begin, it was such a cool place. Just brim-filled with art installations and the great feats of science and engineering of an imagined future.
Its' hard to know where to begin, it was such a cool place. Just brim-filled with art installations and the great feats of science and engineering of an imagined future.
There were knobs to turn, buttons to push, and levers to pull.
And this train.
And a royal intergalactic pirate ship.
Because pirates by themselves aren't interesting enough: they have to be space pirates, and they also have to be British.
Because pirates by themselves aren't interesting enough: they have to be space pirates, and they also have to be British.
A few of the artifacts (such as space pirate ship above) came with little histories about how they were discovered.
I've never been steampunk crazy, but I have to admit this place helped me understand the appeal. Out of what might have looked like a bunch of old rusty junk to some, these people built magic. It was basically an adult playground. And honestly, who doesn't need more of those? We took tons of pictures, both of the art and us in it--having my photo taken is something I'm usually pretty uncomfortable with but something about this place put me in a mood to feel ok about it. I had to laugh at the contrast of personality in these two photos: Josh hamming it up in the spotlight and me, gravitating towards the inconspicuous, tiny space. And, well...tomato, tomahto. Surely our marriage is doomed. |
An enclosed yard outside had even more interesting things to scout out. Much of it was rusty, dusty, and had a few cobwebs, but it was fun to explore. I'm not sure what half of this stuff is, but it was all weird and fascinating. At times it felt like walking through someone else's imagination--or, more realistically, the world's coolest junkyard.
There may have been a few moments when we got a little carried away...
I'm now remembering that we might have had to sign a release form before coming in, and I'm going to say that was a wise move on their part.
On our way back through we found a portal to another dimension, which transported us even though we didn't pay the $2 coin it asked for.
When we came out the place was completely empty. The entire afternoon had passed and it was shutting down for the day. Did the portal catapult us into the future? Hard to say.
...but I might have tetanus.
...but I might have tetanus.