And this is where the true wonder emerges - the people all look different and individually crafted. While most of the main exhibits are life-sized, in the Maori history area there are literally hundreds of tiny warriors peopling the past, all different. Each one has been crafted individually by Nigel in his workshop.
The workshop, itself, has a large window and an especially lucky person may get to see Nigel working away on a new creation at his workbench.
Nigel's understanding of "how it was" 150-odd years ago is encyclopaedic.
Have a good look at the detail of the dioramas of ancient pa sites and battles in the area - there is one extensive diorama of a huge war party making its way down the coast, with hundreds of tiny warriors picking their way along the track. Each one hand-made.
A recent part of the museum is about Ronald Hugh Morrieson who wrote Came A Hot Friday, Scarecrow and Predicament. They have all been made into movies - the former is a delightful film featuring Billy T James as the Tainuia Kid, and the recent Predicament features Jermaine Clement and Tim Finn among others.
Nigel has located Ron's actual bedroom which was the garret floor of his old home, and set it up at the museum. There is a thoughtful display of Morrieson paraphernalia and memorabilia from the movies as well as a mannequin of Ron sitting in his pyjamas writing.
Apparently Ron was such a well-known bloke - quirky and infamous for his differences - that children were not allowed to walk past his house on the same side of the street, and then only in groups of two or more. Welcome to small town New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s - why do we still yearn for those days?
There is a huge display of agricultural and military machinery but the true bloke nirvana is the display of boxthorn hedge-cutting machinery built using old military vehicles by the inimitable Butler brothers.
There were a number of boxthorn cutters up the 'Naki after the war when ex-army machinery was cheap and available. Owen and Lou Butler made huge machines with blades the size of tall ladders that spun as fast as helicopter rotors, cutting and mashing the hedges to little pieces with a huge "whooshing" sound heard for miles.
There is a video of Nigel interviewing the delightful Butler brothers, two blokes of the type they aren't making anymore.
They talk about how they made and used the machines and I don't think they would be too upset if I mention that their machines look a little Heath Robinson.
Go there.
