We here, at the Maori and Colonial Museum would like to Wish Everybody a Safe and Merry christmas.
If you would like the most up to date news on the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum, please go to our Website’s Home Page and click on the Facebook Link which will take you straight to our Facebook Page where you can see up to date photos, posts, videos of the museum. Thank You.
Okains Bay Museum Newsletter December
It has been over a month since our special Museum in Okains Bay aired on TV One, This Town, Episode 6. We have had many people ring us and come visit the Museum as a result. We would like to thank TVNZ and those whom support the Museum. If you missed the Episode, you can go to TVNZ On Demand or go to the link below.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/…/this…/05-08-2015/series-2-episode-6
Things are well under way now in preparation for our Annual Waitangi Day Celebrations on February 6th 2015. Our program for the days events will be posted shortly, and am looking forward to sharing our 40th year of operation with you.
It is with great sadness I have to inform everyone that I will be leaving the Museum and Okains Bay. We are moving back to Christchurch at the end of this school term.
This has left a position for a custodian available and comes with an on site 4 bedroom house.
The position is for a family with primary school aged children to help sustain our local school.
NO DOGS!!
If you or you know of anyone who would love to live in an amazing place, close to a safe and fabulous beach then call the Museum on 03 304 8611 for more information on the position or to leave your details.
Okains Bay is a great place to live and work, with the community making you feel welcome from the day you arrive.
There is a local store with post attached and of course a very good local full primary school.
We are very sad to leave this touch of paradise but if you love the thought of rural living, this is the place to be.
Only approx. 20 minuets to Akaroa, 30 to Little River and 90 to Christchurch.
If you have never been to Okains Bay….well its about time you came on over to see what we love so much!
the weather has warmed slightly and it seems the sun is trying very hard to chase away our winter blues.
The daffodils are starting to appear all over the Bay as are the wee lambs and calves. There is new growth on roses and blossoms on trees….a real sign that spring is in the air!
We are now only a month away from the official tourist season which we are looking forward to. The first cruise ship docks into Akaroa Harbour on 7th October.
We have been having school groups in right through winter with some days being extremely cold for the children so the forge has been lit for them to stand around and keep warm (and of course to have a go at shaping a horse shoe as part of their activities).
(photo of Murray Thacker shaping some metal on the anvil that the school children used).
Lets hope the weather keeps improving so not only can we get more visitors but they can make a day of it and picnic at the beach when they come.
This maybe of interest to some family:
There are two family homes up for rent in Okains Bay.
Details:
House 1.
Two stories.
3 bedrooms with log fire and wet back, Open plan kitchen and dinning, separate lounge.
Garage, chook house and vege garden.
10 minutes stroll to beach which is one of the safest swimming beaches on Banks Peninsula.
House 2.
Two stories.
4 bedroom house with log fire and wet back. Also heat pump (very warm and EQC repairs done). large 4-6 bay garage.
Chook house, green house and large vege garden area.
5 minutes from beach (20 min walk)
This house is attached to the local store and across the road from the school.
Both houses available for rent at $200/week to families with children.
Positives for living in Okains Bay:
Very good, small school. Highly recommended!
Small supportive community that has regular get togethers.
Fabulous local store with post centre.
Safest beach for swimming on Banks Peninsula.
Great country life style.
25 mins to Akaroa, 30 mins to Little River and 1.25 hours to Christchurch.
Shall try to post some photo’s of house 1 in next day or two.
For more information contact Murray Thacker 03 304 8614.
Alister Fraser came to the Museum on the 19th of July 2014 to play and record our Taonga Puroro (traditional Maori musical instruments). They sounded amazing!!
To thank us for allowing him to play these artifacts and to aid in supporting the care of them and the other taonga (treasures) we have, Alister has set up a pledge page to help him raise enough money to produce beautiful CD’s for us to sell. All the money from each CD will go into the preservation of the artifacts.
To find out more of Alister’s plan go to this link:
https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/2355
or to hear a snippet of the instruments Alister played at the Museum go to this link:
http://sounz.org.nz/contributor/performer/1818
Alister also has other albums he has recorded which are awesome recordings using stunning traditional instruments some of which he has made himself.
I am currently listening to:
http://alfraser.bandcamp.com/album/rakiura
as I type this blog. I definitely need to purchase this myself to go with our collection at home!
We are having a special interactive weekend for Heritage Week on 18th and 19th October 2014.
There will be many live displays such as the print shop, stationery engines and the old school will be open for both days.
We are also hoping to include black powder shooting and for the ladies quilting, embroidery and spinning displays.
As we are in early stages of putting items together, as more activities and experiences come to light I will up date both here and face book so keep an eye on both to see what is happening.
Entry will be the same as normal: $10/ adult $2/ school child from 10am-5pm.
Hope to see you here!
The museum is constantly expanding and looking for new items to add or improve exhibits.
For many years we have been wanting to make a display for bee keeping. To do this we need copies of old photo’s to copy from bee keepers and/or old bee keeping equipment.
An old honey house would be a big added bonus.
If you know of anyone/ anything that can help please let us know or pass this on to others.
It is always an added bonus when we get any items from people if there is a story included. For example we have in the collection some blocks given by a family when they left Okains Bay and they have shared who they originally came from and how they acquired them. This story accompanies the blocks on display.
While on the subject of needs:
We would like to acquire an old disused caravan for a first aid base on Waitangi Day. It doesn’t matter if it is not road worthy as we can arrange to collect. Water tight would be preferred so we can leave it placed and set up for anytime we need to use it. If you have one you are wanting removed from your property please give us a call at the museum 03 304 8611 hours 10am – 5pm or leave a message on the answer phone.
Hi all,
Just a short progress report on the rebuilding of the tyre furnace at the Museum.
Unfortunately the original tyre furnace collapsed in the earthquakes and we have been trying to gather funds to rebuild it.
This was used to heat the metal rings or cart tyres that went around the wagon wheels.This would cause the metal to swell so they could be placed on the wooden cart wheel then when it cooled using bucket of water it would shrink tightly onto the wood to make the metal tyre.
The photo here was kindly taken by the Akaroa Mail as the volunteers came together to start the rebuild of the furnace. The round concrete slab in the fore ground of the photo is where the wooden wheels were bolted down ready for the metal tyre.
We hope it will be completed by summer 2015.
It is not too late to give a donation towards this restoration project, all donations are greatly received as they say. if you would like to donate towards this project then please don’t hesitate to give the museum a call and we can give you the details of where and how.
Otherwise, come on out and see the progress for yourself. The volunteers are back working here on Queens Birthday weekend.
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