Monday, February 18 - Oamaru, NZ SteamPunk Capital

Australia was filled with 4WD vehicles.  NZ is the Land of the Van.  And a
lot of them are rentals.  This company, Escape, paints each of their vans
with a different artistic motif.  Our Dutch neighbors at the campground that
morning were traveling in this sweet Picasso Toyota van.

We returned to Oamaru the next day.  It sits on the south-east coast of the
South Island a couple hours drive from Dunedin.  When the first English settlers
arrived they found a nearly treeless plain which was perfect for farming and sheep
raising.  But without much timber for construction, they quarried the thick layers of lime-
stone for their buildings.

The city went through a couple booms, including agriculture and gold mining,
and for awhile it was one of the richest cities in NZ.  Then in the early 1900's
the highly indebted city crashed, and declined sharply.

Without money to tear down the 'old' buildings and throw up newer ones, the
city just sort of sat there and decayed.  Finally in the 1980's the inherent beauty
of the architecture was rediscovered, and a renewal driven by local and national
investors restored the appearance of the 1860's and 1870's Victorian streets.

The old grain warehouse has been converted into Steampunk HQ.  If
you don't know what steampunk is, just look at the next photos and you'll
probably get an idea.

Generally speaking, steampunk imagines an alternative world where electricity
never becomes an important part of technology.  It's usually includes a Victorian
setting.  The nearly universal Victorian architecture of Oamaru makes it perfect
for steampunk enthusiasts.

Not all steampunkers include ghoulish themes to their art, but these guys
certainly do.

Kristy drives a mean tractor

Check out the hood ornament

We were delighted to see our name on many of the iron castings around
the place.  Can you imagine how much our son David would love it there.
He's been a budding steampunker for most of his life.  Kelly too.  Maybe
there's a future New Year's Eve theme here.

The community of Oamaru has embraced the steampunk ethic.  This artist,
whose name is Purple, heads off to her day job of driving a bus.  The motorbike
is hers, and she rides it every day.  The League of Victorian Imagineers throws
an annual Fashion Show and Steampunk Ball.  And one of the local galleries
hold a yearly Steampunk Exhibition.  

The town has many large art and performance spaces residing in the Victorian
buildings.

Dan plunks out a little Beethoven for us.

      Oamaru is one of the most fascinating towns we've ever visited, and if we ever do return to NZ, it will be at the top of the list.