Welcome to the Gallery
A wonder-filled world of moving mechanical devices
A house bus as an Art Gallery
A Playground for Adults
This is your first step into temple of tinkering by Blair Somerville. From the roadside, you will spot an old Leyland house bus. Park your vehicle, and walk into the courtyard. On your right, you’ll find the cutest yellow coffee cart, the ‘Little Rocket’. Straight ahead, under the arch of the ‘Theatre of Winding Thoughts’, is a path that leads to the Lost Gypsy’s highlight, the museum. And on your left, on top of the mosaic steps, the entrance to the Gallery inside the bus. Start here.
This is where it all began – more than twenty years ago – and the Gallery is still growing. Blair has been collecting, creating and displaying all that is fascinating, filling every nook and cranny into one green house bus ($ free). Step into his world and become frightfully amused by weird and wonderful wind-up, water-driven gadgets and gizmos made from found objects — shells, toys, coins, wood, watches, wire and more. Once inside, step out of your comfort zone and start winding handles and pushing buttons. Only then you can make the artworks come alive. If you find yourself hooked on the weird and wacky kinetic constructions, treat yourself to the best part of the Lost Gypsy, the Winding Thoughts Theatre (R13, $10 entry). There’s a load more to see…
Please note: Children are welcome in the bus if they are supervised closely. Please take full responsibility for any children you bring. Each artwork is a one-off, lovingly preserved for visitors to enjoy. They are fragile, so we trust you to handle them gently.
- Gallery: 15 min visit
- All ages (supervised kids)
- Coffee on site
- On Southern Scenic route
- Rainy day activity? Check!
85+
buttons to push, wind, & play
Free
entree
24+
years of
creating
1
Top activity in Papatowai
The Bus
The Gallery is housed in a green Leyland house bus, filled with found-object, hand-crafted automata. Start here to get a taste of the intricate artworks by Blair Somerville, before heading up to the Winding Thoughts Theatre.
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