Entering a Cromwell businessman’s garage is like taking a step back in time to retro New Zealand with it being packed to the rafters with classic pinball machines and games that would be right at home in fish and chip shops in the 1980s.
Jonathan Usher, who is also a magician, started collecting pinball machines 25 years ago, chasing the nostalgia of the machines he used to play during the arcade era.
"That's just what I used to do, go out and play pinball at lunchtime when I was at work, and just thought it would be cool to own one."
His first machine was a Doctor Who-themed one and his collection expanded to include machines with different themes, such as Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park which he played when he was young.
Mr Usher’s favourite is the Theatre of Magic machine which, being a magician himself, he bought for the theme.
While he does not know anything about the history of the pinball machines in his collection, Mr Usher tells an interesting story about his Jurassic Park machine.
The backboard was signed by the film’s star Sam Neill.
Neill’s farm was having an open day and was just down the road from where Mr Usher lived.
"I just said to him, can I ask you a favour? And he said, sure. I said I own a few pinballs and you're on one of them."
Classic pinball machines are not the only games filling Mr Usher’s garage. On the walls are games that were once commonplace in fish and chip shops and bars across New Zealand, such as flip ball, flat ball golf and a reaction tester.
"They [the games] used to be in every fish and chip shop."
As well as the arcade games, Mr Usher has various pieces of memorabilia scattered across the garage.
On a shelf is a collection of retro items, old phones, wine bottles signed by former prime ministers and even a piece of a goal post blown over by winds at the old Carisbrook stadium.
Too big for his shelf is an original red phone booth complete with its windows and all the graffiti from when it was out on the streets.
When talking about his collection, Mr Usher said he could not pinpoint one item as his favourite or the most sentimental to him.
"They’re all memories from my childhood in here."
Despite keeping an eye on Trade Me and auction houses, Mr Usher said his collection was not likely to expand any further as there was no more room in his garage.
His latest acquisition — a brand new Pulp Fiction pinball machine — was only made possible by selling another pinball machine to make room, he said.
"I always keep an eye out but I think I'm pretty happy with what we've got."
