Whanganui Museum

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A few months ago I offered to help out at the museum, getting their collection of photos sorted. They were still closed at that point while work was undertaken to make it more earthquake-proof and to update the displays. I am about to do myself out of that volunteer position I suspect.

What do I think of the new version of the museum? Like many others who grew up with the old version, I miss it and am not as enthusiastic about the new version as I probably should be. However, it is free and a great place to take my young grandchildren as they always happy to stroll round it, especially my four year old grandson as he loves skeletons and dinosaurs and there is a Megalodon tooth for him to admire every single time we go. My favourite display is of Lindauer's stunning paintings.

I had trouble taking photos to show you what it looks like. There are parts where you can't take photos, as in most other museums, such as in the downstairs display of cultural taonga. I wasn't sure I was even allowed to take a photo of the entrance to the display so had to lean over the rail on the 2nd floor and try to take a photo without showing you what is inside and not being noticed by the staff. Please excuse the bad photos!

If you have visited the museum in the past, or if you have visited others such as the brilliant one in Palmerston North, you may be disappointed with this one. We absolutely love the one in PN as there is so much for the children to try out and interact with. The Whanganui one doesn't yet have such interactive displays. But it is free and a great place to stop and spend time showing the kids some of the history of Whanganui. And there is an area set up like an old-time classroom where they can dress up, as well as an area where they can pose for formal, old fashioned photos in period costume.

A couple of tips: 1) The toilets can be a tiny bit tricky to find. The staff will tell you they are in the downstairs display area, on your left. They are, but you need to walk a few steps further than you may expect and look for wall they are hiding behing. 2) Don't park on the street and find yourself searching for coins for the wretched parking meters. There is plenty of free parking, including parking for the disabled, at the rear of the museum.

https://www.wrm.org.nz

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