Lifelong collection of gadgets goes up for sale

Franciska Bouma, with her late father Sierd's stock of this and that. Photo / John Stone

A lifetime collection of things that have switches, swivels, rotors, motors or other moving parts is for sale in Whangarei at what the organiser calls a perpetual garage sale.

Franciska Bouma is selling "One Man's Treasures", her late father Sierd Bouma's eclectic collection of valve radios, early theodolites, cylinder phonographs, gramophones, projectors, cameras, clocks, artworks and books on subjects from Buddhism to aviation.

The pop-up shop in Reyburn Lane has been open a month, with another few weeks to go.

Mr Bouma, who died last Christmas, aged 91 years, was "fascinated by mechanism" and could not resist taking old machinery and gadgets apart.

"We hoped to find people who would treasure his treasures," Ms Bouma said.

General manager at the Marsden Pt refinery from 1974-78 until retiring in Whangarei, Mr Bouma had been a civil engineer and electrical engineer before working in the petroleum industry.

Ms Bouma said her father's collection had filled the large house he and his wife Gladys had, and with Mrs Bouma now unwell it was time to de-clutter.

Big-ticket items, such as rare watches and specialist pieces, are being sold through an Auckland auction house.

Onerahi resident Bruce Sowry, who also cannot help tinkering with old machines, said Mr Bouma had "a real passion for anything that did something".