‘The only times I ever get called by my real name is by the police or someone I went to school with,’ says Miss Purple, a steampunkster from Ōamaru — said to be the steampunk capital of the world. Miss Purple runs a steampunk shop in the Whitestone precinct, selling jewellery and leather wraps. You can always tell when her shop is open because her little steampunk bike is parked outside.
‘Everyone thinks the moped is total steampunk, but that’s not quite true,’ she says. ‘The only thing really steampunk about it is the fake gear lever. In fact, bikes looked like this 110 years ago; it’s an original — well, almost. Steampunk is all about a Victorian future that never was. Nevertheless, the moped’s Edwardian good looks give it the appearance of classic steampunk, especially when Miss Purple is riding it.’
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