It was a funny kind of place but very interesting & informative. We couldn't believe how much was packed into this place. Some of the displays were rather random but we enjoyed the odd cultural quirkiness of the place. It gave a good overview of how the North Island was settled & what life was like way back when.

Am not normally a museum person, but it was pouring with rain so I decided to risk it. And I'm so glad I did. It shows how life was back when the gumdiggers worked the north lands, but also the Kauri tree workers. And also recreates life for settlers with rooms recreated to show how life was. It is all... More

We read the most amazing reviews for this, however for us, unfortunately it did not live up to our expectations. Yes, there is a lot of history about the trees but there is also random information and displays, for example, sports team pictures and trophies from the local area. We weren't offered a guided tour but if you are going... More

This is a must not miss place, the history of life in the old days. If you can go to the live days, bullock rides, old vintage cars, the live exhibitions on how to wood chop, shearing sheep to spinning the wool, or even making sack slippers. The billy tea with the damper bread, Kumaras cooked on the bbq in... More

Thanks. we enjoyed our visit and we got a great education about the kauri and what this land used to look like. What a shame that most of the Kauri forest has been logged and is not being replanted. Great Man Sheds full of machine tools also.

This has to be the best value and most interesting attraction we visited in North Island. We arrived in the afternoon & were offered the ability to return the next day to continue our vist, which unfortunately our itinerary didn't permit, much to our regret. This is not a museum just about Kauri trees but encompasses the whole of NZ... More

This was the most interesting museum I have ever been to. It gave the history of the kauri industry in New Zealand in the most interesting and informative manner. We did the free guided tour with Di and she was a walking encyclopaedia!!!

Friends had suggested this museum as a stop & we were glad we checked it out. Lots of history & information - really well set out. We had no idea what we'd see but it was really interesting to see lots of different items 'from the old days' as our kids said. Learning about the trees was interesting - kids... More

This gem was recommended to us by locals. It is an excellent museum for the short attention span! My wife and I often find museums boring, but this one was really interesting with excellent recreations of pioneer life, complete with life-like wax figures. It gives a really detailed picture of the lives of the early pioneer, especially the lives of... More