Dr Who fans in bidding war

Kevin Mortimer's Tardis has Dr Who fans around the country excited. Photo / Supplied.

Freeks and geeks dead-keen on a fictional doctor frantically hustled this week for a homemade time machine.

Arrowtown builder Kevin Mortimer's daughter spent the last week answering hundreds of queries from Doctor Who fans impressed at Mortimer's Tardis, which was for auction on Trade Me.

The Tardis (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) is well-known to fans of the science fiction TV series.

Boredom inspired the replica, Mortimer's daughter Sheree Carey said. "He thought he'd make himself a Tardis, as you do."

Carey convinced her dad to list the creation on her Trade Me account. "Then it went mental."

Despite notching up 25,000 views and igniting a small bidding war, the reserve price of $3500 was not met and he is thinking about whether to accept the top bid.

"Dad says it's not about the money. He's really happy to cover his costs and got a real giggle out of the popularity of it."

A man who confessed regret at getting married asked Carey: "I need to go back to 1995 so I cannot ask my stupid wife to marry me.

"Can this machine go to exact times?"

Carey said: "There are some very strange people out there."