Buggyrobot Gallery

Galleries and museum key icon.
Galleries and museum key icon.

Monday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Tuesday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Wednesday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Thursday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Friday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Saturday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Sunday10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

6a Harbour Street, South Hill, Oamaru

021 455 671

Ōamaru may be small, but its charm is mighty. Many unique and independently owned stores make up the town’s character, and Buggyrobot Gallery is one such place. A quirky gallery and workshop in the heart of Ōamaru’s Victorian Precinct, it’s a must-visit.

Martin Horspool originally hails from Wales, and for the last 15 years, he has been building metal art and doing watercolour illustrations and paintings - Buggyrobot is his chance to showcase his creations. No two pieces are the same in the gallery, and as you wander around the showroom, each new piece you come across will make you pause and consider it.

The process around creating these artworks is very unique, and Martin is a big proponent of upcycling items he finds and extending their life in a new way. He will often find discarded items from kerbsides or source materials from antique stores, markets and scrap yards. The robot creations on display in the gallery often involve now-extinct devices or machines that are reimagined into characters from Martin’s imagination. And some of his favourite pieces to make are large, wall-mounted taxidermy-style trophy heads, combining antlers with vintage appliances.

A visit to Buggyrobot Gallery will put a smile on your face, and chances are you won’t have experienced anything quite like it before.

Words by Julia Rutherford & Photography by Nancy Zhou

Information not correct? Report an error

Location

6a Harbour Street, South Hill, Oamaru

Nearby Places

Poshtel

View of bedroom at Poshtel accommodation in Ōamaru.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki
Accommodation key icon.

Poshtel has to be one of the most unique accommodation options around New Zealand. In keeping with one of Ōamaru's most notable personality traits, Steampunk, it’s filled with antiques and relics.

Soul, Surf and Skate

A view of the entrance to the shop from the footpath.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki
Fashion key icon. Services key icon.

Ōamaru’s one-and-only surf and skate shop, Soul Surf & Skate, is located in the heart of the town’s retail district on Thames Street.

William Bee

Display of clothes on racks at William Bee in Ōamaru.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki
Fashion key icon.

A general store since the 1800s, this cosy Ōamaru corner shop is now home to hip baby wear, cool gifts and New Zealand outerwear brand, Moké. Lush fabrics and excellent craftsmanship tie the whole concept together.

Craftwork Brewery

A brown suede couch in front of an old fire place decorated with books and plants.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki Editor's Pick
Bars key icon.

Ōamaru’s Heritage Precinct is an ode to tradition. In this way it only makes sense that it’s home to Craftwork - an award winning, small scale, Belgian brewery run by brewing couple, Lee-Ann Scotti and Michael O’Brien.

Similar Places

The Terraces

Old artifacts on a dresser and land yacht at The Terraces with table in foreground in Ōamaru.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki Editor's Pick
Galleries and museum key icon.

Local Kevin Murdoch restored The Terraces building and filled it with historical relics and an art studio. Pop in for a chat with Kevin and the other Ōamaru artist in residence, Al Bell - this is something of an alternative visitors’ centre.

Steampunk HQ

Exterior view of Steampunk HQ victorian building in Ōamaru.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki
Galleries and museum key icon.

This epicentre of Steampunk culture comes alive at the Steampunk HQ, where interactive art comes to life in a way that’s fun, antique and futuristic all at once.

Crafted

The top of shelves covered in ceramics at CRAFTED in Waitaki.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki
Galleries and museum key icon.

It’s hard not to be inspired by Ōamaru’s rugged coastline and fabled history. The town is home to many talented makers and artists, and at the collective gallery you can explore their work at your own pace.

Grainstore Gallery

Close up of Donna Demente painting at Grainstone Gallery in Ōamaru.
Place Ōamaru & Waitaki Editor's Pick
Galleries and museum key icon.

Not quite a gallery or a studio, Grainstore Gallery is an emporium of local artist Donna Demente’s larger than life paintings and sculptures and the ephemera that informs them. Climb up the stairs and be immersed in her creative world.