Nelson is the birthplace of New Zealand's most inspiring fashion show, the annual World of WearableArt Awards Show. You can see 70 or so current and past entries in this museum's several sensory-overloading galleries, including a glow-in-the-dark room. Look out for the 'Bizarre Bras’.
More car than bra? Under the same roof are more than 100 mint-condition classic cars and motorbikes. Exhibits change, but may include a 1959 pink Cadillac, a yellow 1950 Bullet Nose Studebaker convertible and a BMW bubble car.
The World of WearableArt Awards Show began humbly in 1987 when Suzie Moncrieff held an off-beat event featuring art that could be worn and modelled. Folks quickly cottoned on to the show's creative (and competitive) possibilities. You name it, they've shown that a garment can be made from it; wood, metal, shells, cable ties, dried leaves, ping-pong balls... The festival now has a new home in Wellington.
Between the galleries, cafe and art shop, allow a couple of hours if you can.
