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Nostalgic Toys and Games
Monday, 13 July 2020
In the spirit of getting some of our collection “out there”, we thought it may be a bit of fun to discover a little bite size portion at a time by looking for slightly curated items by location within our storage facility. A touch of reminiscing for a certain age…
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One woman’s legacy – the amazing Norma Evans Clothing Collection
Monday, 8 June 2020
The Norma and Bob Evans Family Clothing Collection spans a period from about 1910 to the 1980s and consists of about 2000 items. It is a rich resource for researchers into the social history and technology behind clothes and clothing in the 20th century. The collection includes clothes that had…
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Somerset Playne, adventurer and author
Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Going through the archives researching the early years of the Rotorua Museum, I came across an offer of a number of “stuffed and mounted heads” for the collection. It was 1942 and the offer came from Somerset Playne; the offer was turned down due to space. The list of animals…
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The Season’s Greetings – Christmas Cards, Postcards and Archie & Ruby
Monday, 9 December 2019
Do you still send Christmas cards in the post? Or do you send a mass Christmas greeting to all of your friends on social media? I have to admit that I don’t do either. I used to send cards and letters to one or two pen pals when I was…
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World Environment Day
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
For World Environment Day we will consider the possum, introduced to New Zealand for its fur in 1837. Possums really took to New Zealand conditions and have caused serious damage to both plants and birds in New Zealand since that time. We recently unearthed an interesting letter concerning a possum…
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Souvenir ware plate ‘Eruption of the White Terrace’
Wednesday, 11 July 2018
The Rotorua Museum has what we think is the biggest collection of souvenir ware in museums in New Zealand. Most of the pieces were made in the 1900s and have scenes like the Bath House, Sanatorium, Prince’s Gate, Ohinemutu, or Whakarewarewa. This plate is unusual in that is shows an…
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Exploring Rotorua’s history of Santa Parades
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
It’s carnival time. Love them or hate them, Santa Parades have been part of New Zealand’s history since the early 1900s. Right from the start they have been a commercial venture supported by the large department stores that would promote the arrival of their in-store Santa. Father Christmas made his…
Oruawhata Drive
Govt Gardens, Rotorua
07 350 1814
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Rotorua Museum is closed while detailed earthquake assessment is completed.
