One of the best provincial museums I have visited. They have just completed a large new addition and the café is great.
Just over the bridge, convenient and pretty location and interesting snapshot of both maori and European history of the local area.. Well presented.. And something for solos, friends, families, couples... Makes anice change from the beach and shops etc , nice to incorporate as a walk along the river bank, just over the bridge from the town ,...
A wet day, so off to the local museum. We weren't disappointed. A well laid out display of early Gisborne and a great Art Gallery which was showing a photography exhibition of NZ women. We also enjoyed the coffee in their cafe.
Really enjoyed our look around this museum, we started with a coffee in the cafe which was delicious. The exhibits and information in the museum were interesting, I appreciate that precious artefacts need low level lighting but a lot of the information was unreadable due to tiny typeface and dark rooms, I did mention this to the lady on reception and she said that lots of people complain about it and she passes on their comments but nothing gets done, so come on curators, sort it out. Another thing that is worth addressing is the lack of a map/information, there were exhibitions in odd places, my husband found some interesting stuff only after walking through an art exhibition and we went in the oldest house in Gisbourne only after seeing that the back door was open.Well worth a visit though.
It's closed Sunday mornings which was a bit annoying when it's your planned hideaway from the Gisborne heat, but other than that it had a wide display of local history, modern comment and provincial quirkiness. Really enjoyed the Star of Canada section in the back, according to the brochure we missed the old cottage. We really enjoyed the Memorial Hall to C Company- an iwi-driven exhibit next door which is dedicated to the locals in the Maori Battalion. Top class exhibit.
As visitors, we had to pay $5 entry, but it was worth it. The Art Gallery had several different, but all interesting exhibitions. The museum showed fascinating aspects to life in the Gisborne area over the years. The highlight is the real ship's bridge and captains cabin from a wreck, right of Gisborne's beach. Lunch in the cafe afterwards was delicious - warm roast lamb salad with haloumi.
Definitely worth a visit to understand more about the area. Make sure you visit downstairs too and the art. Good coffee at the cafe too. We went on a Monday and just happened that it is free entry on Mondays.
The museum contains some great displays that are very well presented but I didn't leave with a sense of having a real understanding of the history of Tairawhiti.I would have liked to see more detail.
Spent a good two hours walking round along with a coffee in the cafe a great place to spend an afternoon especially on a Monday as it is Free entry day!
Visitors to town are charged $5, if you are a local you only pay $2.The art gallery had some lovely work, and the old photos in the stairs in the way to the marine section was a fascinating slice of Gisborne history from the 40's-80's. The highlight is the old ship deck that was converted into a house and was gifted to the museum. It was amazing to imagine living in the place, with hidden sinks in the corridors and a sun deck converted from the steering cabin.The local history section was a little dull. The cafe closes significantly earlier than the museum, so don't wait until the end of your visit if you want a coffee.