Kauri Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Kauri Museum at Matakohe
Kauri Museum at Matakohe Location in Northland Region

This big 1929 Caterpillar tractor helped pull logs. It replaced many bullock teams!

The Kauri Museum is a special place in Matakohe, a village on the west coast of New Zealand's Northland region. It's located south of the famous Waipoua Forest. This museum tells the amazing story of early European settlers. They came to this area and worked hard to gather kauri timber and kauri gum.

What You'll Discover at the Kauri Museum
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What You'll Discover at the Kauri Museum

The Kauri Museum is huge, with over 4,000 square meters of indoor exhibits. It holds the world's largest collection of kauri gum. You can also see the biggest collection of furniture made from kauri wood.

Step Back in Time: Kauri House and More

Imagine what life was like long ago! The museum has a model of a kauri house from the 1900s. It's filled with furniture and models dressed in old-fashioned clothes. You can also see many old photographs and items from the early days.

Giant Trees and Sawmills

On the museum walls, you'll find outlines of huge kauri trees. One outline shows a tree that was 8.5 meters around! That's even bigger than Tāne Mahuta, one of New Zealand's largest kauri trees. The museum also has a working model of a steam sawmill. This shows how people used to cut down kauri logs into timber.

Protecting Kauri Forests

The Kauri Museum helps people understand the importance of saving the remaining kauri forests. It has a special display of photos by Stephen King. These photos were put together with the Waipoua Forest Trust. They show why we need to protect these amazing trees for the future.