Oranjehof facts for kids
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| Location | 92 Main Street, Foxton, New Zealand |
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Oranjehof is a special museum in Foxton, New Zealand. It's also known as the Oranjehof Dutch Connection Centre. This museum is part of a bigger place called Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom. This hub is a community space for many different cultures. Foxton is about an hour's drive north of Wellington.
Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom is a really cool place. It has the Piriharakeke Generation Inspiration Centre, a library, and community rooms. You can also find a gallery, a heritage room, and a Council Service Centre there. There's even an i-SITE desk to help visitors.
The Oranjehof museum was created with lots of help from the Dutch community in New Zealand. It's a place to learn about Dutch culture, language, and community. It tells the amazing story of Dutch people in New Zealand. Oranjehof is part of the Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park. This park also has two Dutch-themed cafes and a working windmill called De Molen.
The Dutch Connection Museum Trust worked with the Horowhenua District Council and the Te Taitoa Māori o Te Awahou Trust. Together, they built the Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom facility. This is where the Oranjehof Dutch Connection Centre is located.
Discover Oranjehof Museum
Oranjehof is designed in a cozy, Dutch style, known as gezelligheid. Many famous Dutch artists are featured here. These include photographer Ans Westra and sculptor Leon van den Eijkel. You can also see works by ceramic artists Anneke Borren and Melis van der Sluis.
The museum also highlights important designers. Fashion icon Doris de Pont is one of them. Another is Carpay, who created amazing designs for Crown Lynn. Carpay also had a big impact on textile and graphic design.
What You'll See and Learn
The museum shows how the Dutch have influenced New Zealand's history. For example, the country's name comes from the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. He arrived in 1642, which was 127 years before Captain Cook. This was the first time Europeans met the Māori people.
After the 1950s and 1960s, many Dutch people moved to New Zealand. They, along with their children and grandchildren, helped make New Zealand a more diverse country. Many Dutch families started speaking English at home. Because of this, they became known as the 'Invisible Immigrants'. They blended into New Zealand society very well.
Oranjehof helps keep this Dutch heritage alive. It protects their history, special items, art, language, and culture. It's a central place for the Dutch community in New Zealand. About one in every 40 New Zealanders has some Dutch family background or connections.
The museum tells these fascinating stories in fun, interactive ways. You can use digital displays to explore.
Oranjehof showcases:
- Tasman's Journeys: Learn about the first meeting between Māori and European worlds.
- Why Dutch People Came: Discover why so many people from the Netherlands moved to Aotearoa (New Zealand).
- Dutch Art and Design: See the influence of Dutch creativity.
- Food and Farming: Find out about the origins of popular foods like Vogel's bread and Verkerks salami. Learn about coffee culture, artisan cheese making (like Gouda and Edam), and Dutch contributions to farming.
- Dutch Language: You can listen to Dutch radio and hear the language.
- Traditional Games: Play old Dutch games and try on costumes for fun selfies!
De Molen Windmill
De Molen is a full-size copy of a Dutch windmill. It was finished and opened in 2003. This windmill is a great example of teamwork between the Netherlands and New Zealand. The gears, millstones, and sails were made in the Netherlands by Vaags Molenwerken.
Local builder Cor Slobbe led a team of volunteers who built most of the mill. Its design is from the 17th century, with impressive wooden beams. When it's windy, the mill creaks loudly as its parts move. It grinds flour, showing how windmills worked long ago. The mill had some big repairs in 2018.
This fully working windmill, called a Stellingmolen, makes stone-ground flour. You can buy this flour inside the mill's Dutch Deli. Visitors can climb up three floors to see the wooden machinery in action. It's a great way to see 17th-century Dutch engineering. On windy days, the miller sets the blades spinning. They can also give tours and explain the history of milling.
Images for kids
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Nederlanders - A foot in both worlds: Oranjehof Museum
