Combined outing to Tawhiti Museum and Rotokare

One of many displays at Tawhiti Museum. Photo / Paul Brooks

Widely acclaimed as one of the most innovative museums in New Zealand, Tawhiti at Hawera uses life-size exhibits and scale models to capture the past in a series of super-realistic displays.

The museum will be visited on January 31 as part of the Whanganui Summer Programme.

In 1975 Nigel and Teresa Ogle bought the 70-year-old Tawhiti cheese factory. As a child, Nigel had delivered milk to the factory with his father in their farm truck, but he could never have imagined that he would one day convert that same building into a museum.

What started out as a hobby and a small private collection, grew rapidly with public demand to become the focus of an impressive visual history of South Taranaki.

All the displays – including the life-size figures created from moulds cast from real people – are designed and built on the premises. Whether the subject is shipping, farming, railways, or just a small corner of a colonial kitchen, the attention given to research and detail is the same.

"I hope my enthusiasm for local history comes through the displays. I'm particularly aware of drawing children into our exhibits – they mustn't feel museums are old buildings, full of old dusty junk. Historical display should be exciting and relevant – I'm always looking for more creative ways of making it just that," says Nigel.

Before visiting Tawhiti, the same summer programme excursion will take in Rotokare Scenic Reserve, near Eltham, a stunning 230ha forested hill-country catchment, including extensive wetland and an 18ha natural lake.

Mature tawa, rewarewa and mahoe-dominated forest is home to kiwi, tui, bellbird, kereru, grey warbler and North Island robin, plus many other species which are protected by a predator-proof fence. The summer programme will take people on a 4km walk around the lake and proceed later to the Tawhiti Museum.

Summer programme trust member David Scoullar says this trip to South Taranaki was an example of how the trust tried to work in multiple attractions on its outings. Another example of this will be the visit to Pukaha Mt Bruce and the Middleton Model Railway on January 29.

Vaccine passes are required to join summer programme trips. Book at the Whanganui i-SITE or online.