Museum services for schools – check out the 2019 education programme booklet here!
Tairāwhiti Museum is a 5-minute walk from the CBD, across Peel Street Bridge and through Kelvin Park. There is free parking on Stout Street.
Opening Hours
- Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm
- Sunday and Public Holidays 1:30pm – 4:00pm
- Closed – Easter Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Admission
- Adults $5 (12 years and under and Friends of the Museum free entry)
- Free entry every day for local residents!
Exhibit Cafe
- Monday – Friday 8.30am to 2.00pm, Saturday 9.30am – 12.30pm, closed Sundays.
Exhibit Cafe will be closed for renovations from Wednesday 25th September to 6th October (inclusive).
Temporary gallery closures: Please note that the Jack C Richards Decorative Arts Gallery will be closed from 9 Sept – 7 Oct. All exhibition galleries, except Watersheds and Wyllie Cottage will be closed from 23 Sept – 7 Oct for exhibition installation. Museum entry will be FREE for all visitors during this time.
What’s Happening at the Museum
Exhibitions
The Lieutenant’s Calling Card and the Response of a Quizzical Eye From the fine arts collection
Opening: 13/09/19 10:00 am
“A picture is worth a thousand words” and the works featured in this exhibition speak volumes on the aftermath of October 1769, when HMS Endeavour under the captaincy of James Cook, made landfall on the East Coast of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The ship anchored off Tūranga and from there landing parties were dispatched to seek... Read more »
Gisborne Artists, Potters & Photographers
Opening: 02/08/19 5:30 pm
This year the annual ‘Artists’ and Potters’ exhibition will soon become a winning trifecta with the addition of the Gisborne Camera Club. Local photographers will now combine their pictorial imagery with paintings, prints and ceramics submitted by the affiliated groups from Lysnar House Studio for their yearly exhibition. The Gisborne Camera Club is an established... Read more »
Posing, Not Posing
Opening: 26/11/18 10:00 am
Long before smartphones, selfie sticks and one-swipe filters, having your ‘perfect’ picture taken took practice, preparation and plenty of posing. Early cameras and photographic materials required the sitter to be still for many seconds. While this is often given as the reason for a lack of smiles, a more likely reason is that early portrait... Read more »
Wyllie Cottage
Wyllie Cottage
Wyllie Cottage is the oldest European house still standing in the Gisborne area and also a popular tourist attraction. It was restored and refurbished in 2016. You can find out more about this project on our blog. The cottage was built in the early days of the township of Gisborne for Keita (Kate) and James... Read more »
Watersheds | Ngā Wai Pupū
Watersheds | Ngā Wai Pupū is Tairāwhiti Museum’s semi-permanent exhibition which gives the visitor a snapshot of the history of the Gisborne/East Coast region. Our exhibition forms a river that flows through the history of Tairāwhiti. Beginning with Māori accounts of how the world began and where people came from, this river of history finishes in... Read more »
Te Moana Maritime Gallery
The Te Moana Maritime Gallery offers a glimpse into 1000 years of maritime myths, legends, stories and development of the Tairawhiti East Coast region. Also included in this gallery is the arrival of Captain James Cook, the development of Gisborne’s harbour, local shipwrecks, surfing in this region, the fishing industry and surf life saving.
Events
Meet Tessa Duder and hear the story of how James Cook charted the first map of Aotearoa New Zealand
Meet Tessa Duder and hear the story of how James Cook charted the first map of Aotearoa New Zealand First Map: How James Cook Charted Aotearoa New Zealand tells the human story behind the creation of Cook’s famous chart, following the progress of his six-month circumnavigation of New Zealand and piecing the map together as... Read more »
Music for Intimate Spaces
Step away from the recital hall and towards the more intimate spaces of our place. Curated by Mere Boynton in partnership with Tairāwhiti Museum, Music for Intimate Spaces is a situational musical installation. Move through spaces at your own leisure and enjoy the sounds and music of place and time as musicians enliven the C... Read more »
Music for Intimate Spaces
Step away from the recital hall and towards the more intimate spaces of our place. Curated by Mere Boynton in partnership with Tairāwhiti Museum, Music for Intimate Spaces is a situational musical installation. Move through spaces at your own leisure and enjoy the sounds and music of place and time as musicians enliven the C... Read more »
