Southland Museums
There are other museums in Southland which feature a range of historic displays to give you a taste of southland history. A few are listed here, along with a map showing their locations.
Note: Please contact each museum for current hours of operation as some are closed at present.
Note: Please contact each museum for current hours of operation as some are closed at present.
Bluff Maritime MuseumExhibits include whaling, oystering, the many shipwrecks around the challenging southern coast, the construction of the Bluff Harbour Board, and a working triple expansion steam engine from the TST Awarua.
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Awarua Communications Museum
Awarua Radio Station at 1276 Bluff Highway
The Museum provides an opportunity for exploring both the technology and history of New Zealand's communications from early telegraph and radio days through to the modern era.
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Oyster Allsorts
72 Gore Street, Bluff
03-212 7222 A quirky cool independent museum, cinema, art gallery and cafe. Footage of the Aurora Australis.
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Tumu Toka Curioscape
601 Waikawa-Curio Bay Road,
Curio Bay Tumu Toka Curioscape is a world-class interpretive centre intended to educate and share the special stories of Curio Bay; its wildlife, its people, and its history.
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Otautau museum
[email protected]
Peter Gutsell 03 2258217 Collection consists of historical photographs, archival material, and other interesting objects related to Otautau and Districts.
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Rakiura Museum
9 Ayr St, Stewart Island
03 2191221 Houses an extensive collection of items and photographs of Stewart Island's early history. Current displays showcase early Māori settlement; muttonbirding; whaling; fishing; timber milling; mining; boat building; transport; schools and churches.
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Thornbury Vintage Tractor Club58 Foster Road, Thornbury
03 2348201 Established in 1956, the Rural Heritage Centre can be found in the heart of Thornbury Southland. A small rural town signposted just off the main Invercargill - Riverton highway.
The Thornbury Vintage Tractor Club has a Rural Heritage Centre and is all about telling the Southland farming story. |
Mataura Museum68 Kana Street, Mataura
03 2037924 The collection reflects Mataura's rich social and industrial heritage. Based in a restored 1880s cottage. Interactive technology helps bring the stories to life, and the gardens will add a sense of colour and fun to your visit.
Includes local photographs dating back to the 1870s and a comprehensive local history archive. Collection is also all on-line. We welcome enquiries and your information about Mataura's history. High resolution images of our collection items are available for purchase. |
Owaka MuseumCampbell Street, Owaka
03 41583233 Developed to preserve and to exhibit the heritage of the beautiful Catlins region of the South Island of New Zealand, the Owaka Museum is the flagship of the Catlins Historical Society.
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Bill Richardson Transport World491 Tay Street, Hawthorndale, Invercargill
0800 151252 Don’t miss Invercargill’s leading visitor attraction. One man’s passion started it all – and this family legacy has become the largest automotive museum of its type in the world. But if you think it’s strictly for petrolheads, think again. With more than 300 vintage vehicles (running the gamut from Henry Ford letter cars to Volkswagen Kombis to 1930s V8s and classic trucks of every make and model imaginable), a movie theatre, wearable arts, a LEGO room, and quirky themed bathrooms, here you’ll discover something for everyone.
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Classic Motorcycle Mecca25 Tay Street, Invercargill
0800 151252 From Brough Superior to Burt Munro and John Britten, Classic Motorcycle Mecca has it all. Ride into yesterday and discover the Southern Hemisphere’s leading classic motorcycle collection. Home to more than 300 vintage motorcycles, a visit here is a truly mind-blowing experience for enthusiasts and newbies alike. Housed in two restored historic buildings in the heart of Invercargill, the collection boasts displays of classic British, American, European, and Japanese bikes alongside tributes to motocross and speedway (including legend Ivan Mauger), the collection is also home to the George Begg Bunker: a tribute to a homegrown hero and a golden age in Kiwi motorsport history.
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Southland Fire Museum215 Spey Street, Invercargill
0272 546464 The museum holds the fire museums vast collection. The museum has 5 fire engines dating from 1940 onwards and individual members have a further three. These include the following fire engines: 1940 Ford ex Invercargill,1954 Dennis ex Invercargill ex Dunedin, 1957 Commer ex Invercargill and a 1981 Mack Turtable Ladder retired from service in Invercargill August 2005.
The Society also has equipment and memorabilia from firefighting services in Invercargill and Southland Urban and Rural , along with momentos from the now demolished 1924 Invercargill Fire Station. Visual and hands on. |
Invercargill Public Art Gallery
42 Kelvin Street, Invercargill
Invercargill Public Art Gallery (formally Anderson Park Art Gallery) is responsible for the care, collection and curation of Invercargill’s public art collection. The gallery has built a comprehensive collection of visual and applied arts that includes early European through to contemporary New Zealand art, with a strong representation of local artists and artworks relating to Southland.
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Demolition world
290 Bain Street Invercargill
Demolition world have there own
little church, theatre, water wheel, candy shop, bar, etc.... a town within a town. |
Southland Museum and Art Gallery
The Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Niho o te Taniwha is Murihiku Southland’s regional museum.
Sadly, we are closed because our buildings present an undue public risk in the event of an earthquake. Following our closure in April 2018 we are actively pursuing three main goals. First, we are working with our partners to plan a new re-invented museum. Our collection team is working hard to catalogue and pack the collection so that it is ready to be cared for offsite while a new museum is built. Our curators are working with colleagues from the Invercargill Public Art Gallery to develop a temporary museum and gallery exhibition space in Invercargill’s CBD. |
Gore Airforce Museum43 Maitland Street, East Gore
03 208 5354 Visit a mini airforce base of World War II all the staff are in uniform to encourage young people to become interested and join the club. Step back in time with rides along the airstrip in the Tiger Moth. Also displayed are three other aircraft; a helicopter, a 1943 ex-army personnel carrier, a 1938 'Morris' gun puller (under restoration), as well as ex-airforce wartime memorabilia including more than 60 hats/caps, hundreds of books, photographs and uniforms. Aviation research is carried out on request.
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Croydon Aircraft Museum
Old Mandeville Airfield 1558 Waimea Highway RD 6 Gore
The Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre is committed “To retain our legacy of the golden era of aviation by the preservation, maintenance and operation of early historical aircraft” & is home to the largest collection of de Havilland aircraft in the southern hemisphere.
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Hokonui Pioneer Park
Waimea Street Gore - Nancy
03 2081161 [email protected] The Park was established in 1977. It was founded by the people of Gore and Eastern Southland to protect the history of the local area. The historic buildings onsite include a church with a lychgate, an old bank, a pioneer cottage, an early school and a blacksmith. Activities are offered where available (Buttermaking, treadle sewing, vintage typewriter's etc.)
Group and school Bookings by appointment. The church is also available for hire. |
Tuatapere Bushman's MuseumThis museum displays a comprehensive photographic record of early timber milling operations and a static display of timber milling equipment.
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Hokonui Moonshine Museum16 Hokonui Drive
(Gore Visitor Centre entrance) Gore’s colourful past as a centre for illicit whisky distilling and bootlegging is brought to life at the Hokonui Moonshine Museum.
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Eastern Southland GalleryNicknamed the ‘Goreggenheim’ by Saatchi & Saatchi boss Kevin Roberts, the Eastern Southland Gallery is a regional public art museum, situated in the Arts and Heritage Precinct of Gore’s central business district.
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CENTRAL SOUTHLAND WINTON MUSEUMCnr Winton Substation Road,
Winton What was once Noeline and Duncan McGregor's collection of family heirlooms and memorabilia has turned into an extensive collection of historic pieces on display at the Winton-Central Southland Museum. A great place to spend a couple of hours. Plenty of information relevant to the area with a personal touch.
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Waikawa MuseumThe Museum is housed in a restored school building. Tells the district's stories from the early whalers, gold-mining, fishing, saw-milling, stone quarrying to present day farming. Also have an interesting farm machinery display.
We are on the South Catlins Heritage Trail in the hamlet of Waikawa. The Museum is set in garden surrounds with picnic areas and tables available for visitors. A strong display of historically relevant photographs and genealogy research available upon request. |
Templetons flaxmillNationally recognised as New Zealand’s only authentic flax mill plant operating on its original 1940s site.
Showcases 1860s to 1970s flax processing technology in particular flax milling in Southland. "The working museum, with its still operational stripper and scutcher provides outstanding insight into this once highly significant industry." - New Zealand Historic Places Trust. |
Lumsden Heritage Trust23 Diana Street,
Lumsden A nice stopover on the way from Invercargill to Queenstown. View the historic Railway Station, Trains and Carriages too. You can jump on and look inside the train and carriages which is a bonus. There is a gift shop inside and toilets nearby the playground next to the station
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Fiordland Vintage Machinery Club132 Sandy Brown Road,
Southland Est early 70's by a group of enthusiasts wanting to preserve Te Anau's early history. Exhibits include tractors, motorbikes, trucks & restoration
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Switzers Waikaia Museum39 Blaydon Street Waikaia
020 4121 0180 Waikaia owes much of its history to gold which was discovered here in 1862. At the peak of the rush Switzers (the town’s original name) had a population of around 2,000 including a large number of Chinese miners.
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CENTRAL SOUTHLAND VINTAGE MACHINE10 Winton Wreys bush highway Contact: Audrey Hogg 03 236 8847
Central Southland Vintage Machinery Club was formed in 1973. Their clubrooms and museum are based in the former Awarua Dairy Factory on the corner of SH6 & SH96 north of the Winton Cemetary. New members very welcome.
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Te Hīkoi Museum172 Palmerston Street, Riverton/Aparima
The South's ultimate heritage attraction in Riverton/Aparima. |
space for moreIf you would like your museum listed contact [email protected]
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