Next on my list of places to see in Hamilton was the Classics Museum – a car museum with a 1950s diner. The museum smells of oil and something else – old leather car interiors perhaps. The rain drummed on the roof.

Despite being crammed full of signs, hood ornaments, model cars in cabinets, petrol bowsers, old jukeboxes, and vehicles of all sorts, everything was clean and shiny and efficiently displayed. You had to slow down to take it all in.

There is a range of vehicles from the sleek and elegant to the cute and quirky.

Maybe this little car pulls up alongside the seat where you wait while your engine gets a tune up. Another seat is made from a car bench seat, while the coffee table top sits on an engine block.

I learnt that the first bowser was named after Mr Bowser.

The diner was a treat – as was my pancake stack.

Browsers in Victoria Street is the most wonderful place to browse, particularly on a rainy day. Every corner was a delight – so I took several pictures.

This must be the tallest bookshelf in the world. They don’t have a ladder to access the highest shelves!

Clearly, the operators of this shop have a strong sense of book aesthetics.

I was reluctant to leave, and explored the lane alongside.

In the Sip and Sew Workshop a woman was teaching sewing skills to a group of young girls – perhaps a school holiday activity.