To protect, share, and preserve Te Whanganui o Hei

Mercury Bay Museum

Open 6 Days: 10am to 3pm*
Closed Sundays
Last admission 2.15pm
* except Christmas/Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day.

Our Heritage

With exhibits about the Polynesian navigator Kupe, Maori artifacts, the Endeavour and James Cook, HMS Buffalo (sunk 1840), kauri timber and gum, the old dairy factory in which the museum is housed, early settlers’ records, natural history, fishing displays and a wonderful photographic collection.

Preserving the rich culture and heritage of Te Whanganui o Hei

EXHIBITIONS

What’s On

Mercury Bay Museum and Night @ The Museum Presents ...🦉🌙✨🐀Nocturnal Friends!! Can you help us find our night-time friends?? 🕵️Join us on our new detective adventure through the Museum at night. 🗓️Friday 19th July 2024 5:30pm - 7:00pm 🎟️Entry $7.00 each - children must...

Murder at the Museum 2024

Join us for a night of fun filled detective work! Can you catch the killer?? Dress up as a historical character - but be sure not to tell anyone anything - don't want to spoil the fun! Join in the fun of chatting to your fellow characters and gathering clues that will...

Matariki Whanau Day

Join us in the Museum for a day of fun and being together! We have our Matariki exhibition ready to go! Explorers - we will have a badge to earn! "Matariki- What is it?" sessions - join Becs in a session on everything (well mostly everything) to do with...

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FOLLOW US ON OUR Nautical PROJECT!

HMS Buffalo Re-examination Project 2021

The HMS Buffalo Re-examination Project aims to complete a detailed site survey to provide an accurate interpretation of the HMS Buffalo shipwreck site located in Whitianga, New Zealand.

Winner of the Best Public Archaeology Initiative in Australasia 2023

The wreck site now lies 50 m off Buffalo Beach, Whitianga. The shipwreck is a protected archaeological site under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.

Find out more

Our Stories

Keep the Lights On

Mercury Bay Museum Joins Campaign to Save Museums and Galleries.Today Mercury Bay Museum joined a nationwide campaign to emphasise the value of galleries and museums in Aotearoa New Zealand, and highlight the existential risks they’re facing. The campaign is a result...

Museum Update for Feb 2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR! OMG - where did those 2 months go!! We are in February and by the end of next week in March - its crazy how time flies when you are having fun. We have had a great summer here in the Museum. Although our numbers weren’t quite the same as January 2023...

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

If you would like to volunteer to be part of the front-of-house team welcoming visitors to the museum, read our volunteer programme fact sheet below then contact usYes, anyone over the age of 16 can volunteer in the Museum.You won’t need any specific skills to become...

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