Museum of Transport and Technology facts for kids
An exhibition hall in MOTAT 2
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| Established | 1964 |
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| Location | Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Type | Transport museum |
The Museum of Transport and Technology (often called MOTAT) is a super cool museum in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It's a place where you can explore amazing collections of planes, cars, trains, and other vehicles. You'll also discover how technology has changed over time.
MOTAT is located near the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo, and Western Springs Park. Many volunteers help restore and look after the museum's items. Since 2000, professional museum staff have also supported this important work. MOTAT was started in 1960 by groups like the Old Time Transport Preservation League. It officially opened its doors in 1964.
Contents
MOTAT – Great North Road Site
This part of MOTAT is built around an old beam engine pump house. This pump house once supplied Auckland with its first pressurized water. It's similar to other historic pumping stations around the world.
The Historic Pumphouse and Beam Engine
The Auckland Council hired William Errington to design this pumphouse. It was built to provide Auckland's first clean water supply. Nearby swampland was dug out to create a lake about 6-foot-deep (1.8 m). This lake is now called Western Springs Lake and is filled by three natural springs.
The main engine is a "Double Woolf Compound" type. It was built by John Key and Sons in Scotland. The Western Springs Water Works officially opened on July 10, 1877. This pumphouse was used until 1935 when Auckland got a bigger dam system.
The building was repaired and made stronger in 2002. Work on the old Beam Engine started in 2005. On October 11, 2007, the engine moved for the first time in 79 years! It was tested with steam on November 29, 2007. The Beam Engine was officially running again for the public on April 19, 2008.
Other Steam Engines and Exhibits
MOTAT also has other old steam engines that still run. These include a 1910 Tangye steam engine. There's also an impressive 1911 triple-expansion engine. This engine was once in the Sydney Ferry Greycliffe. This ferry sank in 1927 after hitting a larger ship. Steam for these engines comes from a 1957 Daniel Adamson steam boiler.
You can see many cool things at MOTAT 1. There are trams, trains, old traction engines, cars, buses, and fire engines. You'll also find electrical equipment and even space flight exhibits, like a Corporal rocket. There's a 'colonial village' with old shops and houses. This includes a blacksmith shop where you can see how things were made long ago.
The MOTAT printery shows how type was made and how printing presses worked. Volunteers print small items and giveaways. Another group of volunteers shows how books were bound.
Pioneers of Aviation Pavilion
The 'Pioneers of Aviation' Pavilion celebrates early pilots. You can see parts from Richard Pearse's experimental aircraft. Some research suggests he might have flown before the Wright brothers. There's also a copy of his aircraft and parts of his third aircraft. This third aircraft was an early attempt at a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) plane.
The pavilion also has items from the Walsh Brothers' flights and their flying school. There's a library about transport history named after them. You can also learn about Charles Kingsford Smith's flight across the Tasman Sea in the Southern Cross. Jean Batten's record-breaking flights are also celebrated. Her Percival Gull plane is displayed at Auckland Airport.
Road Transport Collection
The museum's road transport collection has over 100 cars, trucks, motorbikes, and emergency vehicles. These are shown on a rotating basis. One special vehicle is the Trekka. This was New Zealand's only homegrown production vehicle, made between 1966 and 1973. It used parts from Czechoslovakian Škoda vehicles.
Other cool vehicles include a 1960s Cooper Climax race car. There's also an early American Brush Motor Car Company runabout. You can see an Austin Motor Company beer tanker, which was the first in New Zealand. The collection also has one of the Ferguson Company tractors. Edmund Hillary used this tractor to reach the South Pole in 1958.
MOTAT also has a small collection of Police vehicles. These include old patrol cars and motorbikes from the New Zealand Transport Department.
Tram Service at MOTAT 1
Trams are displayed at MOTAT 1. They run every day between MOTAT 1's Great North Road Site. The tram travels through Western Springs Park and past Auckland Zoo to MOTAT 2. This extended tram line opened on April 27, 2007.
MOTAT Aviation Hall – 98 Motions Road
The MOTAT Aviation Hall has a large aviation pavilion. It houses the "Sir Keith Park Memorial Aviation Collection." This amazing hall opened on September 9, 2011.
Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield
This site was once known as the 'Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield'. It's named after Keith Park, a hero from the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Malta. MOTAT's aviation collection is on a separate site. It's next to the Waitematā Harbour and Auckland Zoo.
The collection includes memorials to pilots and radar equipment. It also has workshops for working on vehicles. The main attraction is the collection of New Zealand's civil and Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft. A Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber was finished in December 2013. This plane was used in combat in the Pacific.
In November 2011, a Douglas A4K Skyhawk jet fighter was loaned to MOTAT. A de Havilland Devon and an Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer followed in 2012.
Military Section and Railway
There's also a military section at MOTAT 2. It restores and shows off military trucks, light tracked vehicles, and tanks from World War II. This section has regular open days. During these days, the Military Reenactment Society displays vehicles and uniforms.
MOTAT Aviation Hall also has a working railway. It has 1 kilometer of track, stations, and a selection of old New Zealand Government Railways locomotives, wagons, and carriages.
New Hangar and Aircraft Displays
On September 9, 2011, a new and larger display hangar opened at the MOTAT Aviation Hall. An existing blister hangar was moved and restored as part of this project. The new hangar made it possible to display the restored De Havilland Mosquito and Lockheed Hudson. The Short S25 Sunderland Mk V and Short S45A Solent Mk 4 were moved inside after their repairs and painting were finished. You can also see aircraft like the NAC DC3 Dakota inside the maintenance Blister Hangar.
MOTAT Collections Overview
MOTAT has several amazing collections of transport vehicles:
- Aircraft Collection: This collection has one of New Zealand's largest groups of civil and military aircraft. All of them have a real connection to New Zealand aviation history. You can see parts from Richard Pearse's first 1903 aircraft. There's also a copy of his plane and a large part of his original third vertical takeoff aircraft. The collection includes planes from the 1930s like the de Havilland Fox Moth and Tiger Moth. You can also see a 1940s Short Solent double-decked flying boat. This plane was from New Zealand's first international airline, TEAL. Other aircraft include a Short Sunderland marine patrol flying boat, a de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber, and a restored 1940s Avro Lancaster bomber. More recent additions include a Douglas Dakota and a de Havilland Vampire 1950s jet fighter. The aviation site is also known as the Keith Park Memorial Airfield. A copy of a Hawker Hurricane plane is at the entrance, honoring Air Chief Marshal Keith Park.
- Railway Locomotives and Collection: This collection includes seven steam locomotives. These range from an early 1874 NZR F class to the famous NZR K class steam locomotive. There are also smaller industrial and logging locomotives. You can also see six diesel, petrol, and petrol-electric locomotives. This includes the DA class, which was a very common mainline locomotive in New Zealand. You can often see these in action on "Live Days."
- Railway Carriages: The collection also has railway stations, carriages, wagons, and other rolling stock.
- Tram Collection: This collection has over 20 electric, steam, and cable trams. Many of them still work! They come from old tram systems in Auckland, Wellington, Wanganui, and Dunedin. Auckland's horse-drawn tramway opened in 1884. It was replaced by electric trams in 1902 and closed in 1956. The last original street tramway in New Zealand closed in Wellington in 1964. There's also an 1883 Dunedin Cable Car trailer. The museum also has trams from Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. You can see old Street furniture from the Auckland Tramways along the Western Springs Tramway. MOTAT is one of five working Museum and Heritage Tramways in New Zealand.
- Petrol / Diesel Bus Collection: This collection has many historic buses from the Auckland area. These include a 1924 White Motor Company bus with a wooden body. There's also a 1954 Bedford SB bus. This lightweight bus was built for services over the Grafton Bridge. The collection also has a 1978 M.A.N SL200 bus.
- Trolleybus Collection: This collection shows different trolleybuses that operated in Auckland between 1938 and 1980. Trolleybuses first ran on a short route in central Auckland in 1938. They later replaced the old tram system between 1949 and 1956. Diesel buses then replaced the trolleybuses in 1980.
Tram Service Connecting MOTAT Sites
Tram lines were first laid within the museum in 1967. The museum tram line was later extended along Great North Road in 1980. Another extension along Motions Road to Auckland Zoo started services in 1981. In 2006–07, the tram line was extended even further. It now reaches the aviation hangar at MOTAT 2, and this service began on April 27, 2007.
The tramway uses two different track widths. The rails are welded and set in concrete. Trams run daily between MOTAT 1 and MOTAT 2. They travel alongside Western Springs Park and past Auckland Zoo. This tram service connects both museum sites, making it easy to explore everything!
See also
