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Trying to describe the Tawhiti Museum is tricky. Maybe I should begin by saying it is well worth a visit - but that isn't very informative. Part of my difficulty is my view of what a museum is and what I am used to seeing in one. Right - still not very informative. I may need to think about this a bit more.
The museum's brochure advertises itself as "Bringing you face to face with your heritage." Face to face is a great description because so much of the museum revolves around its life-size figures and scale models. These are absolutely incredible. The work that has gone into them, and continues to go into them, is phenomenal. If you are a fan of models, you are in for a treat. If you expect to see a more typical museum with more typical displays, you will find your ideas challenged. I really don't want to say any more than that as it is best for you to go in with no preconceived ideas.
I chose to visit the museum's most recently added attraction: Traders & Whalers. The $15 entrance fee also allowed me to visit the Farm Power Hall where
there is a huge collection of vintage farm machinery. To see the rest of the museum another $15 was required. It felt a bit odd that there wasn't a discount available if I wished to visit both exhibits.
The Traders & Whalers exhibit provides details of a gentleman from the New Plymouth area (I won't go in any detail about this as it may spoil the experience for you). After being guided through a 'tunnel' you will find yourself going for a boat ride along a 'river'. On the banks are models of Maori and Pakeha trading, living, fighting. Be warned - a couple of the models are extremely life-like and would have scared my young grandchildren. I didn't appreciate the fake cannon blasting me with cold spray as we went past the fighting. As an anthropologist I may not have entirely agreed with the information I was beinggiven but never mind. The huge amount of work that has gone into this exhibit is very clear and I needed to take in all the details.
This exhibit does not seem to be set up for easy access for anyone with a disability. My elderly mother would never have
managed to get into the boat, let alone climb the stairs to the exit. It was also very strange that there was no designated parking for the disabled at the entrance. Yes, there is a sign that seems to indicate you can drive in, towards the entrance, but you would then have to park across the road. This is not acceptable and seems to assume the driver would be fit and healthy and happy to leave their passenger standing by themselves while they went and parked the car and then made their way back across the road.
The Farm Power Hall was impressive. Unfortunately, most of it meant nothing at all to me as I have no interest in vintage farm machinery, old lawnmowers and whatever everything else was. But I imagine it would be of great interest to those who have a passion for these things. I shouldn't do this but I enjoyed The Coach House Museum, full of vintage farm machinery, in Feilding much more mainly due to the way it was laid out, the information provided and the way it was provided and the interactive displays. And I didn't get lost in that one! Yes, I
became lost at Tawhiti which sounds ridiculous, but I was pleased to see the green exit sign.
This museum is certainly worth a visit. The shop is fantastic. My problem with trying to describe it comes down to how much of it is about providing me with information and how much comes under the heading of entertainment. The dioramas are stunning but my grandchildren are happier at our local museum where they can pull out drawers full of weird insects and butterflies and hang out at the exhibit about animal poo. Perhaps that is how I should be describing the museum - adults and history buffs and vintage farm machinery enthusiasts will be in heaven here. My young grandkids would not appreciate the models or having me try to fill them in on what they were about. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take kids there. You should. But you should also pop into the Aotea Utanganui Museum in Patea (which is free).
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