Wahi Kahuika - Owaka Museum

23/09/2026

Who's visiting the Owaka Museum on a cold blustery spring day?

Denys and Bozena (it's a Polish name) Smith from the Sunshine Coast called in yesterday while doing a southern tour from Queenstown. They are travelling in their 1928 Ford pickup truck.
Denys tells me it is ideal for our winding roads, having a top speed of 70 to 80km/hr. They've owned it for a couple of years and bought it to enjoy vintage-car rallying with a good friend of theirs.
Denys thought it originally came from the Wairarapa but the comments below tell us a more interesting story!! ( A job well done by Wayne Irving)
The wheels are from a 1932 model and are fitted with radial truck tyres for "a more comfortable ride" as well as being more economical than the old skinny tyres which were standard back in the early days of motoring.
The chrome bonnet ornament/thermometer is a flying quail, an after-market accessory which needs a minor repair to get it going again.
Best wishes to you both and hope you have a safe trip back home.

21/09/2026

We note the recent passing of a great Catlins character, Alan "Budge" Burgess.
A big crowd attended his farewell at the Owaka Memorial Community Centre last Saturday. Speakers covered his life and long contribution to many aspects of Catlins life. He was an active member of the Otago Outdoor Education Trust for many years, concentrating on the facility at Tautuku, and was very involved in the protection of the recreational fishery and the Yellow-eyed penguins. He organised the Owaka Lions Club Dialysis Caravan, an amazingly generous project that enabled kidney patients in Otago and Southland to go on holiday.
He was a great sportsman in his younger days playing at top levels in Secondary School rugby and cricket and for the Owaka teams when he returned home after boarding school.
His time at Otago Boys High School left a lasting impression on him and vice versa! He continued his connection with that school for the rest of his life, particularly with the boarding hostel he stayed in in the 1950s.
Budge willingly helped out on Catlins Historical Society projects, the most notable being the retrieval of the mast of the ship Otago which was wrecked at Chaslands Mistake in 1876, and the return to Owaka of the steam-engine of the log-hauler which had operated at Logan Brothers sawmill near Hinahina Cove. Years later Budge wrote a history of this sawmill - one of our best-selling local history books.
Our sincere condolences to Helen-May, Karl & Melanie, Brett & Natalie, Sally & Dougall and grandchildren: Tamzin, Hunter, Leo, Jake, Eddie, Jackson, Samuel, and Charlie.

14/09/2026

Just a reminder that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Catlins Historical Society is on this week, Thursday 17th September, 1.30pm, in the Anne & Keith Brown Building adjacent to the Owaka Museum. To be followed by the regular monthly meeting. ALL WELCOME.

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10/09/2026

Our first Art Exhibition of the new season begins on October 2nd with Catlins inspired art and jewellery by "The Botanicalists" a group of Southern artists, including our own Zee Robini.

01/09/2026

Just a reminder to all craftspeople and stall holders. Get in early to book your tables at the Catlins Historical Society's Owaka Museum Annual Market, Labour Weekend Saturday!
See you there!

29/08/2026

For a month or two each off-season we loan our Art Gallery to the Council Information Centre and Library staff to run courses, events, displays and talks aimed mainly at local people.
Katrina Craigie has just finished teaching a well attended sewing course and "Sealion September" will soon start with competitions, displays and talks
There's also a Fairy Garden and Virtual Reality headsets to try out.
Plenty to see and do. See you in September!!

27/08/2026

The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Catlins Historical Society will be held in the Anne & Keith Brown Building behind the Owaka Museum and Information Centre on Thursday 17th September, 2026, at 1.30pm.
To be followed by the regular monthly meeting.
ALL WELCOME!

21/08/2026

We note the recent passing of three long-time Catlins residents: Sue Gordon of Otekura, Helen Gordon of Owaka, and Veda Kirk of Pounawea. Our sincere condolences to the bereaved families.
A death in the family can also be a time to look back on the good times and remember the full life enjoyed by those now gone.

Here's a lovely photo of Veda taken 2 years ago on her 90th birthday. She's having a laugh with her grandsons, Morgan (left) and Tom. Veda is wearing a family heirloom passed down from her own mother. It's a stole made from Arctic Fox, not usually worn on the head, but that's Veda's sense of humour showing through!

For the younger generation who don't see these items about very much, stoles were worn like a scarf, draped over the shoulder and around the neck. They were the height of fashion many decades ago and the prized possessions of many women. The head and tail, and sometimes the legs, were left attached which makes for a slightly gruesome appearance to people of our day and age.

Killing animals for their fur is now frowned upon and seen to be very cruel but was once a big part of the clothing and fashion industry. Arctic fox fur is unbelievably soft, it's the warmest natural fur and they were hunted throughout North America, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and Russia. They are an endangered species in Norway, Sweden and Finland but doing OK elsewhere. A female can have a litter of between 3 and 25 pups!! Often 5 or 6, depending on the availability of food. They eat lemmings, birds, birds eggs, voles, occasionally seal pups, hares, berries and seaweed, so they are well adapted and real survivors. One variety has a pure white coat in winter.

Many thanks to Veda's daughters, Karen, Jody, and Sue for donating the stole to our Museum.

14/08/2026

What's been happening at the Lumberjack Cafe in Owaka tonight?

Max and Louise put on a delicious buffet meal for Catlins Historical Society members and volunteers.
We all enjoyed the evening very much, especially the story-telling between the courses. We heard about the McLay, Landreth, and Bradfield families. Great stories about the early days in the Catlins!

We also presented our out-going Treasurer with Honorary Life Membership. Well done, and many thanks to Gordon McLay for ten years in this position of responsibility, and 15 years in total on our Committee. Also special thanks to Coralie who ably supported and assisted Gordon in this role.

03/08/2026

Many thanks to the following businesses and people who donated RAFFLE PRIZES for our recent Owaka Museum Quiz Night:

CATLINS CAFE
FARMLANDS BALCLUTHA
CATLINS HEALTH AND GIFTS (BATES PHARMACY)
THE BLACK SHEEP
BALCLUTHA GARDEN SHOP
OWAKA FOUR SQUARE
CATLINS HOTEL
MIKE & ANABEL McPHEE
LEADMAN & LYNDSAY IBBOTSON
BRUCE & KATHRYN WILSON

Special thanks to Sharon Jenkinson who did a great job preparing the slide show presentation of the questions.

SEE YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR !!

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