The former curator of the Whangarei Fish Museum, George Campbell, still has a large collection at his Onerahi home and at the weekend the public got what will possibly be the last chance to have a look at them.
Campbell, who ran the Whangarei Fish Museum at the Town Basin until it closed in 2001, opened his Onerahi home to the public on Saturday to show his collection of fishes, eels and other sea creatures, like sea horses.
Granddaughter Alyce Charlesworth, said Campbell aged 83, and was downscaling his collection but wanted to give the public one last chance to see it in its current form.
Charlesworth may take over running of the collection, and may then reopen the collection tot he public, but first she has to learn how to look after the sea life to the same standard as Campbell.
''Granddad has done a wonderful job with them and many of the fish have way outlived their life expectancy. If I can't look after them to the same standards I won't do it,'' she said.
Charlesworth said there was tremendous feedback form those that went along on Saturday and the creatures seem to love it just as much.
''The sea horses are normally grumpy and a bit shy, but on Saturday they were coming to the front of the glass to have a look at all these people coming to have a look at them.''
A popular attraction on Saturday was Campbell's famous eel 'Eel McPherson', which is now over 30 years old and fond of having its chin tickled.
Northern Advocate photographer John Stone went along too.