Waipawa is one of New Zealand's oldest inland towns, founded in 1860, and its museum does that history proud. Housed in a former Bank of New Zealand building constructed in 1886, the Central Hawke's Bay Museum was established by local volunteers in 1986 and has been cared for since 2011 by curator Jana. Step inside and the district's story comes to life — not behind glass, but room by room, the way people actually lived it.
More than 20 exhibits spread across the building, each one built around the working lives of the men and women who made this district. You'll find a recreated woolshed, a colonial cottage set for dinner, a shoemaker's workshop still smelling of leather, a colonial kitchen with the range cold but the tools still laid out, a dentist's surgery that'll make you grateful for modern anaesthetic, and a carpenter's bench worn smooth by generations of hands.
Address: 23 High Street, Waipawa 4210
Open: 7 days a week, 10am – 4pm
Entry: Free
The museum is run on goodwill, volunteer hours, and genuine pride in local history. Worth every minute of a stop.
"Waipawa is one of New Zealand's oldest inland towns, and this museum does that history proud. Jana has cared for it since 2011 — you can feel it in every room."