Cat Connolly's mother Irene Connolly (right) goes to every Steampunk event with her daughter. Photo / Supplied
Cat Connolly's mother Irene Connolly (right) goes to every Steampunk event with her daughter. Photo / Supplied
Paeroa women Cat Connolly, 53, and her mother Irene, 76, have an unusual hobby: Steampunk.
They first came in contact with it in Thames where they came across a Steampunk parade.
Mother and daughter were both hooked immediately and have been active in the Steampunk community for five years. Cat now leads a Paeroa group and is acting secretary of Steampunk The Thames.
"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science-fiction that takes elements of the Victorian steam revolution and mixes it with new technology and fantasy elements," says Cat.
Steampunkers create a persona through dressing up in costumes, holding parades, competitions, markets and games.
Cat Connolly dressed as her time travelling character Lady Cat Meeeow. Photo / Colette Doherty
"My persona is a 16th century time traveller named Lady Cat Meeeow. I stick to one character, but I know people that have four different characters depending on what costume they wear."
At first, her mother didn't want to dress up. "But then she said it is too much fun; she started dressing up herself and joined the madness."
Most Steampunk costumes are home made using recycled and upcycled materials. In the designs of the costumes, Steampunkers are limited only by their imagination.
"There are no rights or wrongs – nobody judges you for your costume. Everyone has something on their costume that no one has seen before."
Cat says she once saw a person with 460 buttons on his shirt, all in perfect alignment.
"For me it's a hobby. But there are also people, that see it as a lifestyle and dress like that fulltime," says Cat.
However, most Steampunkers would only dress up for events. "Then you can see quite a lot of people changing in carparks, because driving a car with a corset is not fun. And have you tried driving with a big hoop skirt? Not fun either."
A Steampunk game played at events and Steampunk gatherings is teapot racing. The competitors use the chassis of remote-control car and with a teapot fixed on top to race through an obstacle course.
"We also do parasol and umbrella fencing which is quite hilarious to watch as the parasols aren't allowed to touch."
A teapot racer created by Cat Connolly. Photo / Thames Camera Club for Steampunk The Thames.
Another Steampunk curiosity is tea duelling. "We take a biscuit and dunk them in tea. Then we try to hold the wet biscuit up for as long as possible without it falling into the cup."
The Thames Steampunk club also has costume, pet and vehicle competitions, best dressed pets and modified vehicles.
"We have already had dogs, cats, a lizard, birds and a ferret dressed in Steampunk.
"To me, the main part of Steampunk is fun, creativity and meeting people – of all ages. One of the ladies coming to our events from Auckland is in her 90s and one girl just started high school. The eldest in our clubs are in their late 70s early 80s," says Cat.
There are about 52 Steampunk groups spread across New Zealand.
"The Waikato has quite a few active groups. I know there are some in Te Awamutu, Hamilton, Cambridge, Paeroa, Waihi, Thames and Whitianga," she says.
It's all about the detail when it comes to Steampunk costumes. Photo / Colette Doherty
With the different groups also come different styles of Steampunk.
"The Steampunk capital, Oamaru, is very Victorian era based, whereas the Thames-Waikato Steampunk is more sci-fi orientated with a Mad Max feeling," says Cat.
The next public Steampunk event will be at Frankton Thunder in Hamilton on March 14, with a Steampunk market, teapot racing and Steampunkers introducing new people to their hobby.
"We will also have a Steampunk Festival on April 22-24 in Thames with a parade, music, ball, markets, games and even a play. For the Festival we expect between 3000-5000 steampunkers from all over the country."
The county's biggest Steampunk festival will be in Oamaru on June 3-7.
Frankton Thunder
The annual Frankton Thunder automotive and community festival will be held from 9.30am to 4pm, Sunday, March 14 in and around Commerce St, Frankton, Hamilton.
The festival includes displays of custom, classic, special interest vehicles, club displays and motorcycles along with plenty of live entertainment, food and street stalls, photorama, Miss Frankton Thunder, burlesque, street theatre, Thunder Ink tattoo competition and Steampunk.
The supporting Frankton Thunder cruise-in and Toys for Charity event, for cars and bikes, assembles at the Cambridge raceway, from 8.30am and leaves for Frankton at 9.30am.
