Waimarino Museum
Encyclopedia
The Waimarino Museum in Raetihi
township chronicles the people, events, and history of the Central Plateau region of New Zealand
's North Island
. The Museum includes the railway station building from the terminus of the Raetihi Branch. It was originally situated on Station Road which lies off to the right over the Makotuku River
bridge on the road to Ohakune
. The railway reached Raetihi in 1917 and played a vital part in the logging industry. The line was closed to passengers in 1951 and shut completely in 1968 with the decline in tree felling & milling.
The railway station building was moved to its present site on Seddon Street in 1981, seven years after the formation of the museum society. Two more buildings were moved to the museum site in 1983. They are the jail cells & stables. Both were originally by the Makotuku River.
The museum holds documents, photographs and items of daily life showing the progression of the town from its beginnings as a Māori settlement in the 19th century, the arrival of timber mills and large scale logging between 1900 and 1960 and the slow decline of the town following the end of the logging boom to the present.
As is the case throughout New Zealand, the museum is run by volunteers and is open for viewing most weekends and by appointment. A number of archival photographs and documents are available for wider viewing on the museum's website.
Raetihi
Raetihi is a town in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the junction of State Highways 4 and 49, 11 kilometres west of Ohakune. The 2006 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings recorded its population as 1,035. This constitutes a decrease of 3.4% or 36 people since...
township chronicles the people, events, and history of the Central Plateau region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. The Museum includes the railway station building from the terminus of the Raetihi Branch. It was originally situated on Station Road which lies off to the right over the Makotuku River
Makotuku River
The Makotuku River is a river of the west of New Zealand's North Island. It flows southwest from the slopes of Mount Ruapehu and passes through the town of Raetihi before its confluence with the Mangawhero River.-References:...
bridge on the road to Ohakune
Ohakune
Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the town is 70 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 25 kilometres west...
. The railway reached Raetihi in 1917 and played a vital part in the logging industry. The line was closed to passengers in 1951 and shut completely in 1968 with the decline in tree felling & milling.
The railway station building was moved to its present site on Seddon Street in 1981, seven years after the formation of the museum society. Two more buildings were moved to the museum site in 1983. They are the jail cells & stables. Both were originally by the Makotuku River.
The museum holds documents, photographs and items of daily life showing the progression of the town from its beginnings as a Māori settlement in the 19th century, the arrival of timber mills and large scale logging between 1900 and 1960 and the slow decline of the town following the end of the logging boom to the present.
As is the case throughout New Zealand, the museum is run by volunteers and is open for viewing most weekends and by appointment. A number of archival photographs and documents are available for wider viewing on the museum's website.