The Lost Gypsy Gallery - South Otago Tinkering
Down in big green expanse of the New Zealand South island among the rolling hills and sparce farm houses. We were traveling in Otago region in hope to find and spot some penguins when they come back from the daily hunt for food in spring time so while looking on the map this strange place cought our eyes, the lost gypsy. While thinking what it may be we kept rolling on those sleepy lush roads while adding a small detour before arriving at the beach.
After quite a bit of travel, distance here are a bit longer as Otago is a big province with no big roads but just connecting each small town to another, we arrived at the Lost gypsy encampament. Here we were greeted by a Jurassic park like entrance in to the small but huge gallery.
The place was situated in this small bush with already many things and gizmos laying around from the welcoming Mail Whale box to moving parts on the low fences. Inside the first garden we were greeted by the tinkerer himself who was walking in and out from his lab to welcome visitors. He introduced us at the gallery and we went on discovering every nook and cranny of this curios place.
The area is split in two rooms one a wooden structure and the other the interior of a caravan we started walking in the garben were strange mechanical creatures limbs could be moved around by some levers. Now that may sound like a nightmare glimpse but everything here has this funny and playful look that the description of it want match with what really are. Bushes with metal tentacles making cracking sounds, sounds bad but it was just goofy and funny to move these things around.
Then we moved on the inside of the wooden house were many interactable contraption were there to be played with, from flower looking lamps, to old toys came to life to one weird piano/organ that would play on his scales all different sound from the room, banging metal dishes, flapping papers and what you have. I spent most of the time in the place in front of that piano playing all those strange sounds.
The tide of strange invention and reimagining of old stuff keep swarming on us, there was even a cyclette that once you get the pedals spinning it powers up a television(an old CRT monitor) in wich you can play the old classic pong. If you can keep up the pace with your feet though!
I highly reccomend to everyone who is a bit curios this place and for kids too as there are many fun and inventive stuff all over and are hard to be captured with words. Each gizmo has it own feel and story. The whole place recalled memories of when I first read Pinocchio.
Closing the round up of the caravan the tour was over but you may stay there for a little break and a coffee. And now that only the most corageus have remained I can show you the nightmares present in this place. I partlylied before when I said that because some parts of the park seems like to come from those wilds night were the dead come back to life.
Much like in the films from Tim Burton the strange physics plus the puppetry of the elements involved creates some funny and goofy lookings things but sometimes things click toghether in some truly scary scenes.
After the penguins never came, probably they abandoned that beach to a better one or their mating period was not coming on that week. They are coming back more often now that the hunt for them and the sealions has stopped in New Zealand. So even if you miss the arrival of the penguins down in south Otago you can always have a relief with The lost Gypsy. Not always thuogh just in summertime!
The Lost Gypsy Gallery - South Otago Tinkering
Have a good week start everybody!