Steampunk?

You'll have noticed in the last post that we were very impressed with the small town of Oamaru NZ. It wasn't only the tremendous architecture in the 'Victorian Precinct' that intrigued us, but, also the introduction to another new (to us) subculture, known as 'Steampunk'. What is it? The term was first coined in 1987. Wiki describes it as:

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and  aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Although its literary origins are sometimes associated with the cyberpunk genre, steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has maintained mainstream usage, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Therefore, steampunk may be described as neo-Victorian.

How does this relate to Oamaru. Well, one of the amazing buildings I wrote about in the last post has been repurposed as SteamPunk HQ. http://steampunkoamaru.co.nz/

A sucker for anything steam-powered: old farm machinery, boats, trains, or, industrial machinery, we were intrigued and had to go in for a look. More operational steam would have made it great. As it was, it was very interesting and you have to admire the imagination and artistry that went into it. Unfortunately, the founder and driving force of Steampunk in Oamaru had a too early death, but, his legacy lives on in this gallery and cemented Oamaru's place in Steampunk culture.

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/30/new-zealand-town-oamaru-steampunk-capital-of-the-world

The Town has even picked up on the theme and the local playground has Steampunk elements in its construction as does this cafe by the waterfront.