Boom Boom (sculpture)
A stainless steel dinosaur sculpture in Taupō, New Zealand.
Boom Boom is a stainless steel sculpture of a dinosaur atop a geometric steel rock in Riverside Park, Taupō, New Zealand. Installed in May 2025, it was designed by sculptor Gregor Kregar and funded by the Taupō Sculpture Trust and the Taupō District Council. The sculpture has drawn mixed public reactions and has been widely shared in memes.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Gregor Kregar
- City
- Taupō, New Zealand
Facts from the source article.
Description
The sculpture was created by Slovenian-born New Zealand sculptor Gregor Kregar. It stands 7 m tall and depicts a stainless steel dinosaur perched on a geometric weathering steel rock. The work was inspired by the volcanic history of Taupō and the Taupō Volcano, with the rock representing volcanic stones from past eruptions. The dinosaur form was chosen because dinosaurs once lived in the Taupō area, and the design was influenced by sauropods that inhabited New Zealand.
History
In 2018 the Taupō District Council agreed to contribute $100,000 toward a destination sculpture if the Taupō Sculpture Trust raised an equal amount. The trust commissioned Boom Boom for a planned sculpture trail of 21 works in Riverside Park. Resource consent for the trail was granted in November 2023; because of the sculpture's size and the land's zoning, it was classified as a building requiring consent. The council approved the installation and its $100,000 funding in February 2024, a decision the Waikato Times described as contentious, with two councillors voting against it. The sculpture was unveiled in May 2025 as the trail's first piece, at a total cost of $230,000.
Reception
Public reaction after the unveiling was mixed. Many disliked the sculpture, with some calling it an 'eyesaur'. Opponents argued that ratepayer funds could have been better spent elsewhere and that the sculpture lacked relevance to Taupō, though it was inspired by the area's volcanic history. The Taupō Sculpture Trust and the artist anticipated initial negativity and expected public opinion to shift over time. The sculpture received international media coverage in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and India. It has been used in memes and in AI-generated advertising by businesses; for instance, a golf club altered an image to show the dinosaur playing golf. A local tourism company's general manager remarked that no $200,000 advertising campaign could have matched the resulting publicity.
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