It’s been sitting on the eastern side of The Square for more than 130 years. From the outside, the entryway is small, dark and a maybe little bit forbidding. It might be a stretch to compare it to Narnia but once inside, the 3000 plus people who visit each year are always surprised and delighted with what they find.
Yes, it’s your local museum. If you have never visited (and it is surprising the number of Martinborough residents, long and short-term, who haven’t), or if it has been some time since you did, why not come and check out the big makeover it’s had in recent times.
For fun, you can play on a party line phone, tap on a typewriter, or test yourself or children with the treasure hunt. Maybe you have family connections in the area – check our indexes to see if you, or even your house, get a mention. Marvel at just how much life has changed since Martinborough was first established more than 140 years ago.
The museum’s collection only exists because of the generosity of locals who have gifted or loaned items, and continue to do so. Only last week Alma and Laurie Boyd’s daughter Lorraine donated their “library”, an impressive collection of local history books collected over their long lives. So don’t throw “old stuff” away before considering if it might have historical value (sadly that’s not always the same as monetary value!). We want to prevent photos, documents and maps from being lost forever.
Over the years, many locals have also volunteered their time to work at the museum each weekend, providing visitors with information about the town and the collection. Mate (Higginson) remains the community’s treasured historian but we are working hard to build up our expertise too.
SWDC and the Community Board have been generous benefactors. That’s important because our only other source of income is the donations/koha our visitors give us.
We might be based in a very old (heritage) building full of old things (antiques) but that doesn’t mean we are old fashioned or frozen in time! History is happening every day and we continue to update our collection to capture this. We’ll be using AI for our next mini-exhibition about George Pain, starting late October. This exhibition will be part of the wider Wellington Heritage Festival that includes 28 other Wairarapa events. wellingtonheritagefestival.co.nz
It is a special little community museum and it continues to evolve to showcase South Wairarapa’s history and the people who have been part of it. Maybe next time you have out-of-town visitors, or want a rainy day activity, come and see us.
Opening Hours: 10.30am-2.30pm Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Admission is free but donation/koha appreciated.
