Oamaru - Steampunk HQ

Steampunk HQ NZ’s premier Steampunk experience is a museum and workshop situated in the historic Victorian precinct of Oamaru. It is crazy, quirky and unique; unlike any other visitor attraction in this universe!

Outside of the imposing free-standing Oamaru stone building, "steampunk" engine SP001 greets visitors by belching flames, smoke and eyrie sounds; whilst inside, a museum of two large darkened rooms and a basement presents a theme of a dark post-apocalyptic vision of a future "as it might have been".

Contraptions and bizarre machinery featuring heavy use of copper, gears, pipes, gas cylinders, as well as an ensemble of skeletal sculptures are lit by flickering lights and accompanied by film, projection and sounds. A back door leads to a large yard with projects and machines in various stages of being "steampunked" including a train carriage, “aethertractor” and giant motorbike. The building's exterior walls are decorated with creations such as giant flies and a fisherman made from metal and industrial parts.

The Infinity Portal is the latest creation; a gateway to other dimensions, both real and imagined. All the walls are completely reflective and a grid of hundreds of multi coloured LED lights are suspended from the ceiling, playing light sequences that move and ripple through the space.

This is one of the most interesting and unusual attractions in NZ - no question about it!