Housed in a former fire station, this little regional museum displays a selection of Māori artefacts from the local tribe, Ngāi Te Rangi, along with temporary exhibitions devoted to aspects of the town's heritage, such as the kauri timber industry – a kauri tree larger than Tāne Mahuta once grew in this region, but it was felled in 1939.
Western Bay Museum
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.97 MILES
The steep slopes of 232m-high Mauao swarm with walkers in the morning, when the Mount’s early risers perform their ritual climb to the summit. The ascent…
11.97 MILES
Waihi’s superb Gold Discovery Centre tells of the area’s gold-mining past, present and future through interactive displays, focusing on personal and…
16.46 MILES
The city's pre-eminent gallery stages challenging exhibitions of thought-provoking contemporary work. The building itself is a former bank, though you’d…
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16.17 MILES
Surrounded by mature trees and lovely gardens, Tauranga's original mission station incorporates the Bay of Plenty's earliest buildings, along with one of…
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25.35 MILES
Due to copyright, all the movie sets around NZ were dismantled after the filming of The Lord of the Rings, but Hobbiton’s owners negotiated to keep their…
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17.29 MILES
This fascinating aviation museum, beside the airport, is filled with predominantly military aircraft. You can scramble through the living quarters of the…
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16.51 MILES
Hairy Maclary author Lynley Dodd lived in Tauranga for years, and NZ’s favourite literary animals were immortalised in bronze on Tauranga’s wharf in 2015…
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19.94 MILES
Around 3km northwest of Paeroa on SH2, this excellent riverside maritime museum includes details of Captain James Cook's visit to the Firth of Thames and…
Nearby attractions
0.14 MILES
Built as a millennium project, this unusual attraction consists of boulders inscribed with haiku verses wending through a pretty park flanking the Uretara…
2.56 MILES
About 7km south of town, this gorgeous 4-hectare private garden is all aflap with native and exotic bird life. There's 1.5km of paths, looping out to a…
4.01 MILES
Transplanting Cape Dutch architecture from South Africa's wine country to SH2, 8km south of Katikati, this excellent winery is open for tastings and stock…
7.74 MILES
In cooler months, retreat to these two small but blissful outdoor hot pools, hidden within a holiday park around 8km southeast of Waihi Beach.
11.1 MILES
In the town’s ornate former thermal sanatorium (aka the ‘Treasure of Te Aroha’). Displays include quirky ceramics, old spa-water bottles, historical…
11.8 MILES
The Waihi Arts Centre & Musuem has an art gallery and displays focusing on the region’s gold-mining history. Prepare to squirm before the collection of…
11.97 MILES
Waihi’s superb Gold Discovery Centre tells of the area’s gold-mining past, present and future through interactive displays, focusing on personal and…
8. Victoria Battery Tramway & Museum
12.46 MILES
Across the river from the Waikino train station, the Victoria Battery Tramway & Museum is the former site of the biggest quartz-ore processing plant in…