48
COROMANDEL LIFE
SUMMER 2014
11A The Esplanade
Whitianga
Mercury Bay
Not to be missed...
What stories you’d hear if this blacksmith could speak! View artifacts from this 1900
blacksmith shop, a replica of Captain Cook’s stateroom, a millworker’s cottage, a post
office, a 1953 schoolroom, and more. See two-man saws, engines and machinery.
Exhibits like these encourage one to imagine what life must have been like in
these remote regions.
Upon entering the museum is the Explorers Room with details about Captain
Cook’s exploration of the region, the wreck if the HMS Buffalo, and infomation
about Polynesian seafarers.
Step into the screening room to watch: “Twelve Days-Captain James Cook in
Mercury Bay”, a 35min film, and be taken back in time.
W
hen
touring Whitianga, you will not want to miss the Mercury
Bay Museum. Just a short walk from the walk-on ferry wharf,
the musuem offers displays of the region’s rich history: native
Maori explorers and lore, European exploration, early settlers and
farmers ... and the boom times of the gold mines, the kauri
logging/milling industries, fishing, and gum resin digging.
Historic photos, evocative murals, artifacts, relics,
interactive displays, wildlife exhibits, and a gift shop will
enrich your visit to Mercury Bay area and the Coromandel.
This statue replication is Polynesian explorer Kupe
as his wife sights land, Whitianga, around 950 AD.
Te Aporangi cried, “A cloud! A Cloud!
And under it a hill!”
Kupe stated, “I see and name this place,
Te Whitianga-Nui-a Kupe,
after our big crossing from Raiatea.”
A giant moa bird dominates the much
smaller brown kiwi in this museum
display. Hear the call of both as well
as other NZ birds while learning
about the region’s wildlife through
narrative interactive exhibits.
The museum’s star attraction: the Anderson
butterchurn, was capable of churning 3,200
litres butter in 1.5 hours. The churn is a
fitting display, for the museum is housed in
the former Mercury Bay Dairy Co. building.
