An Off-The Beaten-Path Gem of a Museum
You can visit some amazing places in New Zealand that aren't very well known, like Okains Bay
We drove out to Okains Bay to drop our daughter off on a camping weekend and were eager to see the Okains Bay Museum. The drive looks complicated on the map. But the winding roads run through beautiful hilly passes and stunning fields. I would say that the camping and the beach scene are fun things to do as well. The day we went the weather was wet, so we focused on the museum. What a treat!
He was renowned for investing in the community and won national recognition for his work to preserve New Zealand history.
The museum is the creation of the late Murray Thacker, a long time resident of Okains Bay. His family had several generations that lived in Okains Bay and were some of the earliest colonial settlers. He was renowned for investing in the community and won national recognition for his work to preserve New Zealand history. He spent decades collecting interesting artifacts from Māori and colonial life from all around New Zealand. His collection is from all over the country, but a majority was sourced locally.
The artifacts from Māori culture are recognised as truly unique and displayed quite well. They've also created a marae (a Māori meeting and spiritual house). Each year on Waitangi Day (the holiday commemorating the signing of the treaty between the Māori and the colonial settlers) they have a big party with traditional Māori food and they take one of the wakas (canoes) out on the water (see the photo below).
There are lots of places to explore and beaches to enjoy out on Banks Peninsula. It's also quite close to Akaroa, the famous French settlement that is now a very picturesque village with a stunning harbour inlet.
There are lots of places to explore and beaches to enjoy out on Banks Peninsula. It's also quite close to Akaroa, the famous French settlement that is now a very picturesque village with a stunning harbour inlet. On the photo of the Banks Peninsula diorama (from the museum) you can see Akaroa, but also the yellow dot represents where the Okains Bay village and museum are located. Banks Peninsula, is a peninsula of volcanic origins, and is just east of Christchurch on the South Island.
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