Te Manawa in Palmerston North throwing open its doors on June 26

The open day at Te Manawa will promote a deeper connection with local heritage. Photo / Te Manawa

On Saturday, June 26, Te Manawa is holding an open day, giving visitors the chance to delve deeper into the stories behind some of its spaces and the objects held within.

The world-renowned New Zealand Rugby Museum will reduce its admission charges to $5 for the day, allowing visitors to easily complement their Te Manawa experience by taking a journey through the country's sporting heritage.

The historic Totaranui cottage and Awahou schoolhouse are usually seen only from the outside, but open day visitors can receive guided tours of these buildings from staff, discovering up close what life and schooling in the 19th century might have been like.

When Te Manawa was redeveloped in 2010, an artificial river was built as part of the Te Awa exhibition, in what's known as the Water Room.

This feature is often used during school visits, but will be available to all during open day.

Experiments can be done with the ways erosion affects our land, or maybe just racing boats is the way to go!

Over in the Art Gallery, the Meet the Makers event will introduce some of the people who helped create the Suffrage in Stitches exhibition.

Even a quick look around the gallery will reveal just how much work went into it; visitors can learn first-hand how some of it was done and the histories of the real people it commemorates.

The details

What: Te Manawa Open Day
When: Saturday, June 26, 11am-3pm
Where: Te Manawa
Tickets: free entry