Oamaru Steampunk HQ

On a rainy afternoon, what can you do but go to a museum? Well, you could go for a walk outside if you don’t mind getting wet and are ok with the views that are less than stellar when the sky is dark and filled with water. As already reported, we did do a bit of walking in the rain as we visited the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony to see the penguins in their breeding area. But Oamaru does have another major tourist attraction in its Steampunk HQ. They think they are the only permanent Steampunk exhibit in the world so they can legitimately call themselves Steampunk HQ.

Steampunk is a quirky genre of science fiction based on steam-driven technology often set in a futuristic version of Victorian England. With its thriving Victorian buildings Oamaru is the perfect setting. The result is machines that could be found in books by HG Wells or Jules Verne. When I look at them I think of Mad Max because they tend to be old farm machines or other early industrial-age machinery punked out and now steam-powered. Characters are either robotic or aliens with weird adaptations like we might see in a Dr. Who television show, especially the ones from his early years.

Steampunk HQ is dimly-lit adding to the sense of mystery around the machines and beings. Information signs help explain some; others are left to our imagination. The reception area includes some old Victorian clothes that can be used for dress-up pictures. The first and most impressive object is an Metagalactic Organ that we are told was used to capture alien sounds and language. Pressing a key on the organ plays those sounds back. While most are just weird sounds, one played the theme from the “Close Encounters” movie.

Further inside the fully-mirrored “Poetry Room” puts on a dazzling light show.

Outside are more machines and two showpieces required a $2 coin to operate. The airship and the locomotive breathe smoke and spit fire. I imagine they would be quite impressive after dark. A fun way to spend a couple of hours, the Steampunk HQ is continually growing as artists from near and far create more pieces for it. It will be worth another visit in the future.