Buggyrobot Gallery
Monday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
TuesdayClosed.
Wednesday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Thursday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Friday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Saturday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Sunday10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
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 Anna Briggs
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Location
6a Harbour Street, South Hill, Oamaru
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Some holidays call for a tent and hiking shoes, and others something a little more cushy – with the promise of a dreamy mattress to plonk onto at the end of the day. With so much romance and history filling every pocket of town, Ōamaru is the perfect destination for those seeking the latter.
Think luxurious accommodation set in charming heritage buildings, enough one-of-a-kind homeware stores to fill a whole day’s itinerary, vibrant art studios and gallery spaces, and a culinary scene that big cities only dream of having. Have we got your attention?
From the best places to stay to shopping, eating and cultural experiences, here’s our Neat Places guide to a boutique weekend escape to Ōamaru. Lean into the town’s Victorian heritage and give yourself permission to live like a royal.
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