New Zealand Timber Museum facts for kids

The New Zealand Timber Museum is a special place in Putāruru, New Zealand. It helps us remember and celebrate the amazing history of the timber industry in the South Waikato area. This region has been connected to timber for a very long time, going all the way back to the early 1900s!

History of the Museum

In 1972, a man named Frank Sneddon, who used to be an editor for the Putaruru Press newspaper, visited a small timber museum in Vancouver Island, Canada. When he came back to New Zealand, he thought it would be a great idea to start a similar museum here.

Frank felt that Putāruru was the perfect spot because of its long history with the timber industry. A public meeting was held on May 4, 1972, to see if people were interested. Lots of people were, and so the Timber Museum Society was formed!

At first, the museum was planned for the Putaruru Domain. But that didn't happen. Instead, in 1974, the Society leased an old mill called the P.T.Y. (Putararu Timber Industries Ltd) No 2 Mill. This mill was built in the 1940s and was very old and run-down. The Society had to rebuild almost the entire mill to get it ready for the museum.

In 1977, another important building, the Taupo Totara Timber (TTT) Company Mill, was moved to the museum site. The restored Tuck and Watkins Mill and the TTT Order Office officially opened to the public in September 1981. A cafe called the Cookhouse Cafe opened in 1982.

Later, in 2007, a new group called the Timber Museum of New Zealand Trust took over running the museum from the Society. They had big plans to make the museum even better! By 2010, they had already finished the second part of their plans.

In April 2019, a special club room for the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo opened at the museum. This group is like a "variety club" for people in the timber industry. It started in the US in 1892 to help the industry and people. The club room is inside the Sycamore Conference and Function Centre, which is named after Cam Sycamore, a very important member of the museum's society.

Museum Collections

The museum has many unique items and old records. These help tell the story of the timber industry. Some of the cool things you can see include:

• Old photos of local history from the early 1900s.
• Amazing wood art made by artists from the area and around New Zealand.
• Several old buildings that have been carefully fixed up and moved to the museum site.
• A display about the rocks and land of the local area.
• Items related to the timber industry from when Europeans first settled in the region.
• A display of native birds created by the taxidermist Jane Yandle.
• A huge, 200-year-old mataī log.

Historic Buildings at the Museum

The museum is home to several historic buildings. These buildings have been restored to look like they did in the past. They now house many of the museum's collections. Inside, you can see old equipment and machines that were used long ago.

• Lichfield House
• Pukeahua Lookout Tower
• Mill Cottage
• TTT Company Mill
• Order Office
• Hutton House
• Putaruru Hotel
• St Michael's of All Angels Church (no longer used as a church)
• Heritage Hall
• Yandle House - this was originally called Rossiter House and was the home of the Yandle family.
• Tuck and Watkins Mill
• The White House
• Putaruru Jail
• Puketurua School