ONE OF THE MOST FUN MUSEUMS WE HAVE BEEN TO!
12 AUGUST 2022
A dental recreation in the Boarding House with a slight sense of humor - check out the headphones on the dentist
Not What We Expected At All
This was never on our list of things to do, we're not huuuge museum fans, but we were meeting my parents for lunch and Matakohe was in the middle of where we both lived.
After lunch at the Gumdigger's Cafe across the road, we decided to explore the museum.
The Matakohe Kauri Museum is not what we expected at all. Museums can be suuuuper boring and usually the kids are grumpy and tired by the end of going through them and often we are truly bored and go through as fast as we can... but not this museum. From the outside it looks like a small building but it's seriously HUGE! It's also wheelchair friendly, even up to the 2nd floors.
There are multiple rooms in the museum with each having its own story to tell and something new in each area including the world's smallest revolver and the world's largest kauri slab. The museum boasts life size pioneer rooms, operational machinery that has been kept in working order and and antique items you can interact with (which you can never do at other museums - it was fun for everyone!). We had a go at old butter churners, telephones, typewriters, handwashing machines. More on that later in the blog.
At the entry is the gift shop (our fav part of museums!) where you purchase your tickets to enter and there are toilets up the stairs to the left. Along the walls to the toilets are some beautiful paintings of NZ native birds.
After lunch at the Gumdigger's Cafe across the road, we decided to explore the museum.
The Matakohe Kauri Museum is not what we expected at all. Museums can be suuuuper boring and usually the kids are grumpy and tired by the end of going through them and often we are truly bored and go through as fast as we can... but not this museum. From the outside it looks like a small building but it's seriously HUGE! It's also wheelchair friendly, even up to the 2nd floors.
There are multiple rooms in the museum with each having its own story to tell and something new in each area including the world's smallest revolver and the world's largest kauri slab. The museum boasts life size pioneer rooms, operational machinery that has been kept in working order and and antique items you can interact with (which you can never do at other museums - it was fun for everyone!). We had a go at old butter churners, telephones, typewriters, handwashing machines. More on that later in the blog.
At the entry is the gift shop (our fav part of museums!) where you purchase your tickets to enter and there are toilets up the stairs to the left. Along the walls to the toilets are some beautiful paintings of NZ native birds.
Collections of paintings leading to the bathroom
Huge collection of kauri gum in the Ross Wing
Kauri Gum Collection
When we walked into the Ross Wing, the first room, we were struck by the orangeness of it all. From large pieces of amber coloured kauri gum, to beautifully carved vintage furniture made from kauri.
The museum boasts 5000 pieces of kauri gum, which makes it the biggest collection of gum in the world! Kauri forests used to cover most of the north island of New Zealand before deforestation. If you have ever been to visit Tane Mahuta, you'll realise how magnificent these trees are and how monstrous these forests would be right now if there wasn't so much deforestation.
Kauri gum takes thousands of years to form and it's known around the world as amber (although not as old as amber). The resin from the kauri trees seeps through cracks or fractures in the bark and drips out from the trees to form lumps when it's exposed to the air. We saw this happening when we went to Trounson Kauri Park. Once this resin hardens, it becomes kauri gum! Lumps of resin can fall to the ground then be covered in dirt and decaying leaves from the forest, which eventually fossilizes the gum.
The museum boasts 5000 pieces of kauri gum, which makes it the biggest collection of gum in the world! Kauri forests used to cover most of the north island of New Zealand before deforestation. If you have ever been to visit Tane Mahuta, you'll realise how magnificent these trees are and how monstrous these forests would be right now if there wasn't so much deforestation.
Kauri gum takes thousands of years to form and it's known around the world as amber (although not as old as amber). The resin from the kauri trees seeps through cracks or fractures in the bark and drips out from the trees to form lumps when it's exposed to the air. We saw this happening when we went to Trounson Kauri Park. Once this resin hardens, it becomes kauri gum! Lumps of resin can fall to the ground then be covered in dirt and decaying leaves from the forest, which eventually fossilizes the gum.
Beautiful antique washstand made of Kauri
Kauri Furniture
You'll find one of the biggest collections of antique kauri furniture right here at Matakohe Museum. There are beautiful antique washstands, carved dining tables and milking stools.
There were a lot of WOW moments when we saw the furniture, especially the huge stand-alone wardrobes! The detailing was beautiful and you could definitely imagine living in a mansion with these furniture pieces in your home.
There were a lot of WOW moments when we saw the furniture, especially the huge stand-alone wardrobes! The detailing was beautiful and you could definitely imagine living in a mansion with these furniture pieces in your home.
Lath helping Bella with the treasure hunt at the museum
Kids Treasure Hunt
As we visited the museum in the school holidays the museum had a treasure hunt on for the kids which was a really cool surprise for the girls.
They were given a clipboard and paper with 6 items to find in the museum and another sheet with the rooms for them to tick when they found them. They were soooo excited to do this and they ran around trying to find everything to tick off their list.
There were so many rooms so we kept losing sight of the kids as it was like a maze and got lost in the excitement of the treasure hunt and kept running off.
Even though it was the school holidays, the place was pretty empty which suited us just fine! Nothing worse than having to churn butter with a stranger and make awkward eye contact as you turn the handle together.
They were given a clipboard and paper with 6 items to find in the museum and another sheet with the rooms for them to tick when they found them. They were soooo excited to do this and they ran around trying to find everything to tick off their list.
There were so many rooms so we kept losing sight of the kids as it was like a maze and got lost in the excitement of the treasure hunt and kept running off.
Even though it was the school holidays, the place was pretty empty which suited us just fine! Nothing worse than having to churn butter with a stranger and make awkward eye contact as you turn the handle together.
Sienna having a go with an old butter churner
Butter Churners, Typewriters & Washing Machines
The next room we visited had heaps of antique items to interact with. There were butter churners, washing machines, type writers, radios, mirrors, washing machines and more!
What a treat it was to be able to play around with all these cool things which is pretty rare to be able to do at a museum. The girls had a lot of fun trying them all out, cranking handles, lifting lids, pressing things and opening doors.
This is THE BEST for kids as it makes it so much more interesting and they're also learning about history and how things work.
What a treat it was to be able to play around with all these cool things which is pretty rare to be able to do at a museum. The girls had a lot of fun trying them all out, cranking handles, lifting lids, pressing things and opening doors.
This is THE BEST for kids as it makes it so much more interesting and they're also learning about history and how things work.
Grandad trying out one of the antique items
The nursery in the Sterling Wing
Sterling Wing
There is a fun recreation of a 6 bedroom home from the 1880s - 1920s, with the original decor and life size models in period costume. The rooms showcase how kauri timber was used for homes, furniture and heritage pieces.
Trying to find all the random modern items in each scene was a lot of fun. At first we thought they were mistakes ie a tool bag left in there, but the more we looked, we realised it was there for a laugh. The dentist had headphones on, one dude was using a computer monitor, there was a dewalt tool bag in another room. In another room there was a man using a computer at dining table. Love the humour!
Trying to find all the random modern items in each scene was a lot of fun. At first we thought they were mistakes ie a tool bag left in there, but the more we looked, we realised it was there for a laugh. The dentist had headphones on, one dude was using a computer monitor, there was a dewalt tool bag in another room. In another room there was a man using a computer at dining table. Love the humour!
Can you spot any modern items in this antique room?
Can you see the beautiful gum necklace in the picture?
An original piece of machinery used for kauri logs
The Smith Wing
There was a mahoooosive flat piece of kauri that spanned almost the whole length of the room! We also saw a huge kauri stump that was laid flat so you could see the rings where it was cut.
This room is a two-story room with elegant kauri stairs showcased on either side of the room. They take you up to the Tudor Collins photographs (showcased a bit further down the blog). You also get an awesome view of everything below.
There is so much to see in the Smith Wing, from tents to kauri boats to insanely big pieces of kauri timber, to a seat you can sit on to watch a video on something kauri (didn't actually sit and watch lol).
There was a Matariki display in one of the sections, with some kids artwork and a few old pianos about the museum which the kids had fun playing.
This room is a two-story room with elegant kauri stairs showcased on either side of the room. They take you up to the Tudor Collins photographs (showcased a bit further down the blog). You also get an awesome view of everything below.
There is so much to see in the Smith Wing, from tents to kauri boats to insanely big pieces of kauri timber, to a seat you can sit on to watch a video on something kauri (didn't actually sit and watch lol).
There was a Matariki display in one of the sections, with some kids artwork and a few old pianos about the museum which the kids had fun playing.
Lath's height showing the sheer size of one of the machine's wheels
A piece of huge kauri wood inside the Smith Wing
An exhibition of the saw mill
The Saw Mill
Another awesome room in the museum! This room was HUGE and full of so many amazing pieces of machinery that were used for felling trees, milling timber, transporting logs and collecting kauri gum.
What we loved about this part of the museum is it looked like a working mill, with its lifelike figures and actual machinery used along with lights, sounds and movement. It was fantastic! You could walk around the edge of this room as well as in-between, there were paths everywhere.
There was a wall of chainsaws.
REWORD With a collection of over 100 chainsaws on display, the Museum's collection is one of the most comprehensive in New Zealand.
What we loved about this part of the museum is it looked like a working mill, with its lifelike figures and actual machinery used along with lights, sounds and movement. It was fantastic! You could walk around the edge of this room as well as in-between, there were paths everywhere.
There was a wall of chainsaws.
REWORD With a collection of over 100 chainsaws on display, the Museum's collection is one of the most comprehensive in New Zealand.
Amazing recreation of the saw mill
A lifelike figure stoking the fire in one of the machine's engines
Caterpilla 60 bulldozer in the museum
Caterpillar 60 Bulldozer
The Matakohe kauri museum holds a very important and impressive collection of machines and one of the exhibits is the caterpillar 60 bulldozer. The bulldozer, along side many other operational machinery, is a very important part of the kauri history as it replaced the heavy-hauling bullock teams in northland.
It is actually still fully operational, sitting in the operational machinery wing, but now it's retired and has been since it joined the museum in 1969.
It is actually still fully operational, sitting in the operational machinery wing, but now it's retired and has been since it joined the museum in 1969.
The bulldozer sitting and enjoying its retirement
One of the kauri boats on display
Kauri Boats
In the museum is a small collection of kauri boats and model boats including one named Tara which was designed and built in 1938 by Arch Logan (1865-1940). Arch is considered to be one of the most outstanding yacht designers in the south hemisphere.
The boat featured above would have been a lot of fun to play on, but alas, no go.
The museum has done a great job of creating the boat scene, making it fun for kids and easy on the eye.
The boat featured above would have been a lot of fun to play on, but alas, no go.
The museum has done a great job of creating the boat scene, making it fun for kids and easy on the eye.
The Tudor Collins photography collection
Tudor Collins Photography
Up the sweeping staircase in the Smith Wing you'll find a collection of photographs by Tudor Collins. He is best known for his work of photographing the people and forests in the kauri industry, alongside A.H. Reed and Mervyn Sterling, to preserve the kauri story.
Tudor kindly bequeathed his photos to the Museum.
Tudor kindly bequeathed his photos to the Museum.
Otamatea Boarding House
The Boarding House
We did not expect to see a two story house inside the museum! What a treat. This whole place is like a playground for the kids (and big, adult kids) and having the boarding house there made it even more fun.
The boarding house is a recreation and it used to provide accommodation in northland for dentists and bankers who could set up and service the community.
Upstairs in the Boarding House are more recreations from the 1880s- 1920s (with more fun modern items to find and chuckle at). There is also a huge bottle collection (read about it just further down in the blog).
The boarding house is a recreation and it used to provide accommodation in northland for dentists and bankers who could set up and service the community.
Upstairs in the Boarding House are more recreations from the 1880s- 1920s (with more fun modern items to find and chuckle at). There is also a huge bottle collection (read about it just further down in the blog).
The first story of the boarding house
One of the recreations in the Boarding House - spot the $50 note!
A little bit of history about Hilda's bottle collecting
Huge Bottle Collection
Upstairs in the Boarding House is a wall to wall bottle collection that came to the museum in 2004 by Hilda McCarroll who spent over 50 years unearthing old bottles.
She collected a lot from Whakapirau, Batley and Pahi where she discovered them in the sand and mud. Her family would often go bottle hunting with her along the edge of the Kaipara Harbour, taking a picnic and making a day of it.
She collected a lot from Whakapirau, Batley and Pahi where she discovered them in the sand and mud. Her family would often go bottle hunting with her along the edge of the Kaipara Harbour, taking a picnic and making a day of it.
Wall to wall display of the bottle collection by Hilda
A flashback to us in the 1800s. Get yer face in thuuuur
Sienna standing by a back-lit photo of Tane Mahuta
Ye olde postshop
The Old Post & Telegram Office
The post and telegram office is actually to the left of the museum, not inside it. It's the original building from the area and has been well maintained and it's FREE to enter! So if you're just passing through Matakohe and the kids need to stretch their legs and to stop listening to mum and dad's singing, then it's worth heading in and checking it out.
Inside the building are a few rooms set up with scenese from 1909 to 1988. From likelife figures standing at the post office desk (actually scared the crap out of me when I turned the corner!) to an exhibition of old telephones. There's even the old manual telephone exchange in the Postmaster's Residence. Most rooms are behind glass with the exception of the kitchen, which is roped off.
There are a few phones inside the building that visitors can play around with - another fun thing to keep the kiddies entertained!
Inside the building are a few rooms set up with scenese from 1909 to 1988. From likelife figures standing at the post office desk (actually scared the crap out of me when I turned the corner!) to an exhibition of old telephones. There's even the old manual telephone exchange in the Postmaster's Residence. Most rooms are behind glass with the exception of the kitchen, which is roped off.
There are a few phones inside the building that visitors can play around with - another fun thing to keep the kiddies entertained!
The telephone room inside the post office
One of the old telephones available for visitors to play with
Inside the post office
More To Discover Outside
While we were waiting for others in the gift shop, ahem Lathem buying lollies, we sat outside and the girls discovered the old working water pump. They had a lot of fun having a go - great workout!
Just keep in mind that the water isn't drinkable, it comes from a bore below and it's not safe to drink. Although Sienna did give it a go when we weren't looking, but we seemed to stop her in time from drinking too much and she didn't get the trots so it can't be all that bad, but wouldn't recommend trying!
Just keep in mind that the water isn't drinkable, it comes from a bore below and it's not safe to drink. Although Sienna did give it a go when we weren't looking, but we seemed to stop her in time from drinking too much and she didn't get the trots so it can't be all that bad, but wouldn't recommend trying!
Sienna using the water pump outside the museum
Matakohe Pioneer Church
Nestled amongst big trees and rose gardens, the pioneer church was built between 1866-67 and it has been well preserved. And yes, it is made from kauri!
We didn't have time to go inside, but snapped a shot of it before we left as it was so pretty.
We didn't have time to go inside, but snapped a shot of it before we left as it was so pretty.
Matakohe Pioneer Church
Know Before You Go
- We went to Gumdigger's Cafe which is conveniently located opposite the museum and has a nice range of food
- We paid $55 for a family pass (2 adults, 2 kids) for entry to the museum (for updated pricing click here)
- Set aside 1 - 2 hours to take in all the amazingness the museum has to offer
- SUPER FUN for everyone! Especially the kids
- There's heaps of parking down the road if you have a trailer or motorhome
- Their staff can assist you with mobility access, including elevator assistance within the museum. All of their bathrooms are wheelchair accessible, and they have complementary wheelchairs available for visitors use
- The museum has a hands-on gum polishing experience for visitors to enjoy. Check with the front desk if someone is available to do this with you
- The museum offers discounts for:
- Motat Mates
- AA Members
- NZMCA Members
- Kiwi Holiday Park & Accommodation Members - Open daily 9am - 5pm except Christmas day
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
Address: 5 Church Road, Matakohe 0593
Phone: 09 431 7417
35 mins from Dargaville
2 hours from Auckland CBD
55 mins from Whangarei
There is plenty of free street parking in front of the museum and down the road.
Phone: 09 431 7417
35 mins from Dargaville
2 hours from Auckland CBD
55 mins from Whangarei
There is plenty of free street parking in front of the museum and down the road.
Conclusion
Just go! You won't regret it. It's such a great experience for all ages and to have so much stuff to interact with it a big highlight. We especially loved the modern humour in each scene with the figures.
It's a fantastic way to spend a morning or afternoon with the family and you're sure to create some cool memories.
The gift shop, right at the beginning and the end, has some beautiful pieces of jewellery, kauri items and toys for the kids.
It's a fantastic way to spend a morning or afternoon with the family and you're sure to create some cool memories.
The gift shop, right at the beginning and the end, has some beautiful pieces of jewellery, kauri items and toys for the kids.
Gallery of Matakohe Kauri Museum
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown. There are just too many photos to post!
More to do on the Northland Kauri Trail
TROUNSON KAURI PARK
NORTHLAND This sheltered walk is part of the Kauri Coast Trail in Northland where you get to experience giant kauri trees up close.
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KAI IWI LAKES
NORTHLAND These are the clearest lakes we have seen in the North Island. Perfect place to relax in summer or take the boat out and catch some trout.
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TANE MAHUTA
NORTHLAND A completely underwhelming tree... until you turn around and look the right way then WOW! New Zealand's largest and oldest kauri tree.
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