-
Bath Removal Stage Two – Heritage baths safely in storage
Wednesday, 12 August 2020
One lone bather remained in the Bath House building after Rotorua Museum closed in 2016 for earthquake strengthening and redevelopment. This slightly shocked gentleman, together with heritage baths and several other original bathing features, has recently been moved into storage from the Mudbath Basement to prepare for the foundation works…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
The Jaycee Movement
Thursday, 9 April 2020
Henry Giessenbier founded the Jaycees in 1920, with 3,000 members, in St. Louis, Missouri. It was Henry’s vision to provide young people with opportunities which they had little or no access to otherwise attain. He believed that young people could change the world. https://www.bemidjijaycees.com/jaycees-history.html The Jaycee movement was introduced to…
-
Along the lines of……..
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Since we are all in lockdown and may have a bit of time on our hands we thought you might like to participate in a fun little challenge. Create your own still life out of items lying around the house and send in your image. Here are some samples for…
-
Contractor announced for Rotorua Museum and Sir Howard Morrison Centre projects
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
With construction beginning next year on Rotorua Museum and the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre, leading New Zealand firm, Hawkins, has been appointed as the pre-construction contractor for the seismic strengthening and redevelopment for both of these key community facilities. Hawkins General Manager Central, Peter McCawe, says the confirmation…
-
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…
-
Norma Evans’ bottom drawer
Monday, 4 November 2019
Bottom drawer – a young woman’s collection of clothes, linen, cutlery, etc, in anticipation of marriage [1] Through 21st century eyes this seems like a quaint and old fashioned practice but in the mid-20th century, life was different and this type of collecting made very practical sense. Gathering items for…
-
Stewart Brown provides an update on the Rotorua Museum Project
Monday, 21 October 2019
Rotorua Lakes Council Arts & Culture Manager, Stewart Brown, give his monthly update on the Rotorua Museum strengthening and redevelopment project. He talks about the current contractor tender, recruiting for a Museum Director and the upcoming Rotorua Museum Art Awards 2019.