Kāpiti Coast Museum: A treasure trove of local history and artefacts

Volunteer staff at Kāpiti Coast Museum are warm and welcoming.

In Volunteer Kāpiti’s monthly series featuring our volunteer community, Bron Thomas visits the Kāpiti Coast Museum.

Built in 1907, the old Waikanae Post Office in Elizabeth St is a fitting location to house the historical objects, reference books, photographs, maps and survey documents that make up the Kāpiti Coast Museum’s eclectic and fascinating collection.

Following the Post Office’s relocation to Mahara Place in 1982, the building was purchased by the council.

After public consultation it was decided the building would be repurposed as a museum, and a lease was signed in 1983 with the Waikanae District Museum Inc, a membership-based incorporated society.

The initial collection included telephone and telegraph equipment donated by the New Zealand Post & Telegraph Department and early 20th-century radio sets and communications equipment previously housed in a group of ham radio enthusiasts’ garages.

The museum has since benefitted from generous donations made by Kāpiti residents and people connected with the coast, with each item contributing to depicting the story of everyday life in Kāpiti.

Some of the more unusual exhibits include a large cast iron whale pot from Kāpiti Island used to render whale blubber into oil, a church pump organ that visitors are welcome to play, and a working manual telephone switchboard. Many of the exhibits can be handled and, where possible, are designed to be interactive.

This year has been a particularly busy one for the museum, with significant renovation taking place in partnership with Kāpiti Coast District Council.

A selection of engaging historical photographs has been affixed to the external windows, and a pretty picket fence and bilingual heritage information board added to the entrance area.

Te Ātiawa artist Vianney Parata has painted a thematic mural called He rau ringa e te oti (translated to “many hands make light work”) on the large concrete wall space at the rear of the building. The colourful work features symbolic designs relevant to the region.

Funded by grants and public donations, the museum is staffed entirely by a group of energetic volunteers, kaitiaki who share a passion for recording and safeguarding the collection. Offering a broad range of knowledge, skills and expertise, volunteers handle all aspects of the museum’s operation including accession, cataloguing, display and storage of taonga representing important aspects of the coast’s social history.

Volunteer museum hosts welcome people to the museum between 1-4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, where they are on hand to explain the background and significance of the exhibits to visitors from near and far, including overseas visitors passing through Waikanae.

Outside these times, groups can visit by arrangement. Recent groups hosted have included Pippins (junior Girl Guides), primary school classes, Rebus club members and visitors from retirement villages located in other parts of the Wellington region.

New volunteers are always most welcome to join the team for a rewarding and fun experience. Click on this link to read more about the role and how to apply: https://volunteerkapiti.org.nz/roles/1003/museum-host-waikanae

If you have a little spare time over the summer holidays, do come and take a look at the latest exhibition displays. As with previous years, the museum will be participating in the annual Kāpiti Coast Heritage Clue Hunt over the Wellington Anniversary weekend – a fun day out for all the family which you can read more about here: https://kapitiheritage.weebly.com/kapiti-coast-heritage-clue-hunt-2025.html