The Kauri Museum. I went to this museum because the Kauris totally blew me and blown away by their size, their beauty and their age. This museum has appropriated the name of this millenary tree sacred not to sublimate it, to pay homage to it or to inform of its extinction and protection but to exhibit objects in shambles and display trophies and photos of humans posing proudly in front of trees on the ground that remind us of the worst safaris of a murderous era. Go there if you want to see the genius of man creating machines, gears or other lumberjack axes and have a testimony of the first European pioneers of NZ but do not go there if you are in love with nature, forests and trees.

We had a fantastic visit here - the amount of content was staggering and the quality of information was high class! Well and truly worth the trip. I loved the historical nature and the time taken to exhibit the house, and boarding house etc. My husband loved the mechanical side of the industry... Although I did find that fascinating too - so both happy! This has artfully documented a huge part of our history- and I have huge admiration for those behind bringing this together. I would possibly agree about more links to Maori and their connections if they were looking at ways to improve. Loved it - it’s a hidden gem!

I was hoping on entering this museum to learn all about the fascinating kauri forests and their ecosystem. Unfortunately, this museum is to the glory of European settlers who exploited these forests so zealously that New Zealand now has only 23% forest cover against 64% on their arrival, 160 years earlier. What irony! $ 25 full fare entrance. Free Wifi in the museum. Pretty shop.

Glad to have done it before going to the Kauri forest but really too expensive!

Fantastic museum and well worth a visit. The amount of content inside is staggering, so make sure you allow at least 3 hours to see it all. They have done a brilliant job of making the displays entertaining and informative, with a mix of photos, info and interactive displays. Only thing I would have liked is a little more info on the Maori link with the Kauri trees, not just from when the settlers arrived - but apart from that it was a great museum.

Well worth the trip to view the museum. Just finished our day off after seeing Tane Mahuta and the larger Kauri just down the road and worth the 15-20 walk in. The museum let us park after 5pm in their car park with our self contained campervan. Very much appreciated. We only needed a flat piece of land !! Thanks !!

A visit is worth it. Very lovingly made and very interesting for those who are interested in history. $25 is okay??