Wahi Kahuika - Owaka Museum

17/06/2026

What were the Catlins Club kids up to today?

They continued with the bugs, spiders, and insects theme. Adele prepared some blank beetle "cut-outs" for them to decorate, stuff, and add legs and antenna onto.
It was a bit messy but everyone had fun. Many thanks to The Catlins Area School for loaning us some aprons! Once the paint and glue dry Adele will make a "bug wall" to display the kids work.
As an added bonus Nelson gave us an interesting talk on a photo of two deer taken on his Dad's trail-cam.

Catlins Club is a free joint project of the Owaka Community Library and the Owaka Museum. All Junior and Intermediate children welcome.

11/06/2026

It's great to see rare photos like the one below pop up on Facebook from time-to-time. I'd never seen it before and I wonder what Catlins historians like the late Ron Tyrrell, Kitty Burgess, Hilda Stott, and Isabel Dreaver would have made of the power of FB to gather in old Catlins photos and reminiscences!
The Meder's first bakery was located at The Landing, most likely near the current Owaka Golf Course Clubhouse. Not sure if this is their first building down there or a later one at the old village site on the corner of Pounawea Road and Hinahina Road. Might even be in the "new" village of Owaka when houses, churches, and businesses moved to be closer to the newly arrived railway in the 1890s-1900s.
In the early days "Catlins River" was the name given to the whole coastal area; Hinahina, Pounawea, Newhaven, and Owaka. The Landing was a good location for a business, with two sawmills operating nearby on the Owaka River and coastal steamers and sailing vessels coming upstream to load timber at the mills.
Many thanks to John Teddy for posting this item.

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10/06/2026

What's happening in the Owaka Museum workroom?

Glenda has returned from visiting some Landreth relatives in Canterbury. Wherever she and Chris stayed family members generously gave them heirlooms to "go back to the Catlins where they came from"; and solved a couple of family mysteries in the process!

The Giant Moa tibia (leg bone) was found on the Landreth farm in about 1900 by children, William and Aggie. They played with it for a while and, children being children, decided to re-bury it! It remained lost for 65 years until one day William, by now an elderly man suddenly remembered where he and sister Aggie had concealed it. He ordered the car he was travelling in to "STOP!" -- he'd recognised a strangely familiar spot by a roadside fenceline. A quick dig with his one remaining hand revealed the bone, still intact and waiting patiently to continue it's story. The bone then disappeared again, no one was sure who had it, but it will now stay with us for a while in the Owaka Museum! (Mr Landreth's other hand had been lost at the battle of Passchendaele in 1917- but that's another story)

William became the school-teacher at Katea and in the 1920s and 30s it was common for Catlins school pupils to go to Pounawea for swimming lessons in the estuary. It's possible that it was on one of these trips he fossicked around on Manuka Point and found the beautiful stone adze. That also vanished from the family home. Families were big in those days and no one could remember who it had been given to. But like the moa bone it is now back home again, here in the Catlins once more.

The wedding dress belonged to Myola Catherine Shaw, daughter of Mrs J M Shaw of Owaka. Myola married Paul Hunter in Timaru in 1949 at a time when many goods were still in short supply following the Second World War. One material that Myola could find was nett curtaining and that's what this beautiful dress is made from. No lace or beading but plenty of frills from shoulder, to waist, to train.

05/06/2026

What's happening in the rotational display area in the Owaka Museum?

Marie and Becky are getting our next temporary display ready. It's called "ART FROM OUR ARCHIVES" and features paintings from our own collection with modern day photographs of the same scenes. Plus plenty more, including letters and advice from the late great Catlins artist Edna Peterson to an aspiring young artist - Murray Ayson.
Opening soon!!

29/05/2026

Hi existing members and old friends of the Owaka Museum.
Your interest and support is greatly valued by us. Membership fees for 2026 - 27 are now due.
To all our new followers and friends,
It would be great if you became a member of our Historical Society!
The fees and payment details are here on this form. Just $20 for a single membership or $30 for a couple. You get free entry to our Museum, help with family research, and a newsletter with heaps of interesting news about what we're up to.
Your support would be much appreciated. No need to attend meetings or serve on our committee. But if you live locally and can give a few hours as a weekend volunteer that would be great.

Many thanks,

Mike McPhee
Museum Manager

28/05/2026

What's arrived in the Owaka Museum Gift Shop??

Lawrence craftswoman, Janine Basil, called in recently to show us her range of resin, clay and rhinestone chain jewellery.
Pop in for a look! Very reasonable prices.

Janine is demonstrating her "Thumb page holders". A neat way to hold your book and keep the page using only one hand. The other one is now free for your favourite coffee, cup of tea, or something stronger!

22/05/2026

What's this??

It's something special for sure.
A solid gold watch chain with a gold soldier's badge and silver sovereign case attached.
Badges like these were presented to returning First World War soldiers by local Patriotic Committees.
Many thanks to the Wilson family who donated this interesting item to us recently. The inscription reads "A Token of Honour to Gunner J.S. Wilson, from Maclennan and Papatowai Residents. Great War 1914-1919"
Stephen Wilson was one of those very lucky men who volunteered when the war began in 1914 and served right through to the end. He began his service with the Otago Mounted Rifles, was evacuated sick from Gallipoli and transferred to the artillery. He arrived in France in March 1917 and served at Messines, Passchendaele, and the Ypres Salient. He had several long spells in hospital. Many Gallipoli men suffered from ill-health for the rest of their lives, the effects of starvation, poor food- when they got any, no fresh vegetables, filthy water, and gastro illnesses spread by millions of flies. After 5 years and 9 days in the Army Stephen came home to "Blythewood", the family farm, and later also purchased "Kintail" from the neighbouring Fea family. Eventually selling up and moving to the North Island.

Stephen's brother Robert served in the Engineers but was sent home from England when it was discovered he was blind in one eye. He later returned to England, married, and he and his new wife, Agnes, were shipwrecked when the Manuka was lost in 1929 near Papatowai! The story goes that they were greeted on the beach by an old neighbour and invited home for breakfast! His carpenter's toolbox was later washed ashore and returned to him.

Another brother, Albert, enlisted in Timaru, served in the Canterbury Regiment and was killed-in-action near Colincamps, France, when the Aussies and New Zealanders did an amazing job defending against the big German attack in May 1918.
When discussing the seven Wilson children their neighbour, Mrs Fea, said "Albert was the flower of the flock."
All three brothers are listed on the Maclennan and District Roll of Honour displayed in the Tahakopa Hall.

Photos of these men, preferably in uniform, would be greatly appreciated.
Mike McPhee, Museum Manager

22/05/2026

What were the Catlins Club kids up to this week?
Bugs.........that's what!

We armed the kids with magnifying glasses then walked around the outside of the Museum turning over every rock, branch, and stone to see what we could find. Slaters, centipedes, and small unidentified hopping critters mostly.
Luckily we had a few bumble bees, flies and spiders in jars inside as well, so the time went by pretty fast.
Here are the kids in our rock garden very excited to find the first centipede of the afternoon.
The children will be bringing their own bugs to our next meeting.
John tells me he will bring his pet slater along! Wow, should be fun!
And our new member, Luke, tells me he's a bit of an expert when it comes to things that creep and crawl. I'm sure his brother Cole will bring something good as well.

Catlins Club is a free after-school club for junior and intermediate age Catlins children. We meet every second Wednesday at 3.30pm for an hour of interesting Museum and Library based activities.
(An initiative of the Owaka Museum and the Owaka Community Library, all welcome!)

20/05/2026

What's coming down at the Owaka Museum?
Our scaffolding!
The re-roofing job on the older part of our building is finished, just in time for winter! And the scaffolders called in yesterday to pick up their gear.
Many thanks once again to our generous funders:
Owaka Lions Club
Otago Community Trust
The Trusts Community Foundation
The Clutha Foundation

And of course to Rym Geary and his crew from Clutha Roofing!