Discover Matakohe’s Kauri history

Matakohe explores the history of Kauri on several levels: the Kauri Museum combines a significant collection of wood, Kauri gum and artefacts from the Kauri timber and gum industries with exhibitions, reconstructed rooms and a depiction of a sawmill. Historic buildings such as Totara House, the Pioneer School and Matakohe Pioneer Church add to the picture. The story spans materials and their processing, as well as homes, a school and a church.

The museum in Matakohe is on the Ancient Kauri Trail to Waipoua Kauri Forest and the Twin Coast Discovery Highway. These two named routes provide a concrete framework for planning a trip, while the exhibitions have their own focus on Kauri and the stories surrounding the tree.

Kauri wood, gum and everyday life in earlier times

The Kauri Museum celebrates the Kauri tree and shares stories of courage, determination, tragedy and triumph, as well as its role in the creation of New Zealand. The collection of wood, Kauri gum and artefacts from the Kauri timber and gum industries adds objects from both industries to this narrative perspective. Natural materials, processing and human history come together in different forms of exhibition.

The Balderston Kauri is on display in Volunteers Hall: a 22.5-metre-long slab of Kauri wood. In the Sterling Wing, the focus shifts from a single wooden object to a recreated living space. The museum has reconstructed a fully furnished six-room house from 1880 to 1920, complete with lifelike figures in period clothing. The contrast makes the difference between a single large piece of timber and a detailed depiction of domestic life immediately clear.

Matakohe’s history also features in the exhibitions. The Matakohe Post Office exhibition includes dressed figures and original equipment. The Kauri Museum’s Pioneer School was Matakohe’s first school building; its displays include desks, pens, books and maps. Together, the two exhibits show different aspects of everyday life in earlier times without requiring a lengthy explanation: one through figures and equipment, the other through the contents of a school building.

Recreated rooms and working machinery

A full-size, scale-accurate reconstruction of a steam-powered sawmill moves slowly. Visitors can watch trees being processed into timber. This makes the production process a visible counterpart to the wood and gum objects in the collection. For a group trip, this offers a change of pace between large exhibits, recreated rooms and a depiction of traditional processing.

The Forest Walkway at the Kauri Museum leads through a forest of tall light-box trees. Natural sounds of birdsong and the native bushland provide the soundtrack. This area offers a different experience from the indoor galleries: instead of objects, figures and machines, the focus is on trees and the sounds of the bush.

Historic buildings in Matakohe

Totara House is an 1896 Kauri villa set in historic gardens. George and Emily Smith’s family lived in the house and carefully maintained it for more than 120 years. This example brings together the building’s age, its use as a home and a family’s history in a specific place in Matakohe.

Matakohe Pioneer Church is a well-preserved Kauri timber church dating from 1866–1867. The church and its grounds are suitable for intimate ceremonies with up to 50 guests and as a setting for wedding photos. The building therefore has a clearly stated use for special occasions as well as historic significance.

Planning your visit and special offers

The Kauri Museum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, except on Christmas Day. The museum offers Kauri gum polishing workshops by prior arrangement for school groups and other small groups. The Gumdiggers Café caters for booked groups; special meals are available by prior reservation. If a workshop or group meal is part of your plans, take these arrangements and reservation requirements into account when planning.

Choosing what to focus on can help you plan your visit: those particularly interested in Kauri and its processing will find collection pieces and the slowly moving sawmill reconstruction at the museum; those keen to explore historic ways of life can take in the house reconstruction, the school exhibit and Matakohe’s buildings. When looking for accommodation, the key consideration is which of these themes will shape your trip.

Discover more destinations: Lake Ohia, Kaikohe, Waipu, Ruakaka, Rawhiti, Cable Bay, Matapouri, Kaeo.

For the regional travel overview: Northland.