Covid-19 Disruptions
Museum partially open
With the return of the Auckland area to Covid-19 alert level 2, the Museum of Waiheke will be open
whenever our volunteers are willing to do so. We shall resume normal operations at level 1. Stay tuned to this website or to our Facebook page for further developments.
Public events and news
Tanya Batt and Peter Forster
will present their acclaimed show Mary Bumby’s Hive of Story about the woman who brought
the bumblebee to New Zealand in 1839.
Place: Museum of Waiheke
Date: Saturday, 13 March 2021, at 3PM (subject to weather)
Covid-19: The show will go ahead at level 1 or 2 Tickets: $20 (includes admission to the Museum)
See here for details.

Goodwin Cottage refreshed

When you see an old building with peeling paint you think no one cares, but Foundation North do,
and so with heartfelt thanks to them we now have a heritage cottage looking very smart and cared
for, beautifully painted by Graeme O’Brien whose family has a long history with our island.
Some of our volunteers have been working hard to refresh the interior, with new furniture and
items on display. Come have a look!
New footpaths No more swimming in the mud...

Thanks to some generous funding from the Waiheke Local Board, there is now a fully-concreted
path from the carpark to the Museum buildings. Even in our soggy weather, you can now visit the Museum
with dry feet.
We’re featured on the Sealink Roadtrip
Our Museum is featured on Sealink’s Art & Culture Roadtrip. Have a look!
The History Quiz
That’s right — a trivia quiz with
no science, no rugby, no Hollywood! We plan on making it a regular
event for the Historical Society. Members and non-members welcome.
Wharf2Wharf Fun Run
Saturday, 14 March 2020

Once again, our Museum provided water to passing runners. Sadly, the 2021 race has been cancelled
due to the pandemic. Come join us next year!
New publication
Dixie Day’s book Waiheke Pioneers, the standard reference for early European
settlement on Waiheke, has been out of print for two years, but we are looking at publishing a second edition in mid- or late 2021. Watch this space...
Members’ section
Annual General Meeting
will be held (Covid willing) on Sunday, 11 April 2021, at 2PM at the Museum.
Proposed changes to our
constitution will be on the agenda.
Featured speaker: Logan Moss on the Museum’s new archives.
(Read last year’s minutes and a description of
last year’s presentation on the Bulford Kiwi.)
New members always welcome!
Newsletters & Minutes
History of the Society
Constitution
Officers
How to join
For history buffs and researchers
Waiheke Vintage & Historic Photos
Peter Young’s Facebook page on Waiheke history
Early History of Waiheke Island
A missionary on Waiheke Island in 1849
A visit to Waiheke Island in 1858
A Belgian city in Rocky Bay?
Surfdale memories from the 1940s
The Waiheke Fun-Map (1948)
The 1922 subdivision of the Matiatia-Oneroa Estate
Cemetery transcriptions
1881 electoral roll
1893 women’s electoral roll
Under construction... The following are coming soon:
Waiheke genealogy
Waiheke land owners in 1914
Directory of Waiheke residents in 1948
Links
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The Museum of Waiheke
and Historic Village

Experience a slice of Old Waiheke at the Waiheke Museum and Historic Village.
- A reconstructed woolshed housing the Museum’s main exhibits
- A 1930s-style island cottage (Day Cottage) that can be used as a meeting room
- Three small bach-style houses (Champion,
Keane, and Goodwin cottages)
with period rooms and photo exhibits
- A working, manually-operated telephone exchange
- The original Waiheke jail
- Being developed: The Taonga Heritage Gardens
- Maori artifacts, a wool press, a whale-oil cauldron, a player piano, and even a fine old long-drop toilet! (No, not in actual use; we have modern ones for visitors.)
The Museum is located at 165 Onetangi Straight, Waiheke Island, and is open from 11 AM to 3 PM on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holiday Mondays, all year round (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). Entry is by donation; we suggest $3 per person.
How to find us
Covid-19 closure policy
In accordance with New Zealand rules regarding the response of public venues to the various alert levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Museum of Waiheke will observe the following policy:
- Alert levels 4 and 3: Closed to the public.
- Alert level 2: Open only when we have volunteers willing to do so. No more than ten visitors are allowed at a time, and all must maintain physical distancing. (We have several buildings so this should not be a problem.)
- Alert level 1: Open for business as usual.
At all levels visitors are encouraged to sign in either by scanning the QR code (posted at the door) with the Covid-19 Tracer App, or by manually signing the contact tracing sheet on the table by the door. Hand sanitiser and toilets with soap and water are always available. Good hygiene practices are a must, such as coughing into your elbow and staying home if you are feeling unwell. Thank you for your cooperation.

Take a tour of the Museum buildings
The aerial view below is courtesy of Google Maps. Click on any building for more information.
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