Warkworth & District Museum

The Warkworth & District Museum, also known as the Warkworth Museum, is a local museum in the township of Warkworth in the Auckland Region, New Zealand. The museum focuses on the local history of the Matakana Coast area, especially the kauri logging industry.

Warkworth & District Museum
The main entrance of the Warkworth & District Museum
EstablishedSeptember 21, 1980 (1980-09-21)
LocationWarkworth, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates36.4162°S 174.6692°E / -36.4162; 174.6692
Websitewww.warkworthmuseum.co.nz

Location
Parry Kauri Park

The museum is located to the south of the town of Warkworth in Parry Kauri Park, a two hectare kauri tree reserve. The park includes the McKinney kauri which reached a height of 38 metres and is estimated to be around 800 years old. The reserve features a walkway, primarily on boardwalk.[1] The grove of kauri trees has been tended by a local organisation, the Kauri Bushmen's Association, since the 1960s.[2]

History

A museum for the Warkworth area was first discussed at a town meeting in the early 1970s by local residents Jack Keys and Ken McInnes. By 1977, fundraising and permission for the museum had been obtained.[3] The museum incorporated as a society in 1979,[4] opening the following year on 21 September 1980.[5][3] The museum opened gradually, with the second stage, the two-storey Parry Wing, opening in 1983.[3]

In 1998, the Founders Wing was opened by Governor General Michael Hardie Boys.[3] Over the next seven years, small historical buildings were added to the complex, including the old Warkworth jail, a United States Military army hut from World War II, and the Mahurangi Heads Post Office.[3]

Displays and exhibits

The museum tells the history of the area, including the kauri milling era and a recreation of the town in the early 20th Century.[6] The museum houses many photographs and photographic equipment of Tudor Collins.[7]

The museum stores over 20,000 items.[8]

  • Kauri log at the Warkworth Museum
    Kauri log at the Warkworth Museum
  • Interior of the museum
    Interior of the museum
  • The open-air exhibition of the museum, including the old jail and the Mahurangi Heads Post Office
    The open-air exhibition of the museum, including the old jail and the Mahurangi Heads Post Office
  • The McKinney kauri tree, one of the oldest kauri trees in the Auckland Region
    The McKinney kauri tree, one of the oldest kauri trees in the Auckland Region

References
  1. Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. Wikidata Q118136068.
  2. "Bushmen pitch in at Parry Kauri Park". Our Auckland. Auckland Council. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  3. Wade, Lyn (15 April 2022). "History – Museum beginnings". Local Matters. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  4. "Warkworth & District Museum on DNB". dnb.com.
  5. "Auckland Museum News Number Four" (PDF). Museum Quarterly. Auckland: Auckland War Memorial Museum. 4. December 1980. ISSN 0111-2252. Wikidata Q115749461.
  6. Ell, Sarah (2 January 2016). "Culture, treat and repeat". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  7. Cameron, Ewen; Hayward, Bruce; Murdoch, Graeme (2008). A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage. Random House New Zealand. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-86962-1513.
  8. "Warkworth Museum on NZ Museums". nzmuseums.co.nz. Te Papa.
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