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  • Home
  • Our History, Your Future
  • Visit us
    • Learning
  • Collections & Stories
  • Projects
  • Featured Media
    • Documents
  • Get Involved
    • Donate

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Hours

  • Closed for now.
  • Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday by appointment for groups and schools.

Contact

  • tel: 06 927 7080
  • email: enquiries@ecmot.org.nz

Entry

  • Adults: $10
  • Student/Gold Card: $5
  • Children
    Primary/Secondary: $2
    Under 5: Free

Location

  • star rating  Like so many museums of the genre this museum has an amazing amount of "stuff", much of which is interesting and has a personal connection - the sort of car... read more I once owned, the computer that I first used and so on. However it is apparent that the museum is poorly funded and probably struggling for volunteers.
    However, that said it is inexpensive to visit and occupied an interesting couple of hours as we wandered around from shed to shed.
    If you enjoy such places it is well worth a visit.

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    LARRYR889
    10/06/2019

    star rating  The size of this collection has to be seen to be believed. There are cars, lorries, farm vehicles, household items and all manner of small and large pieces of... read more equipment and technology. There is so much and it's a shame to see vehicles in the open rusting and rotting away. There are some classic vehicles here that if sold in the UK could raise enough to restore much of what would be left. It's a fascinating place, but rather sad as well.

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    janineb0
    12/01/2017

    star rating  We found this place by looking online - didn't look much on the approach but what a fantastic place this is once you get inside. Reasonably priced and run mainly... read more by volunteers. We started looking around and got chatting to Kelvin (one of the volunteers) who took us on a personal tour. They have different shed that cover all sorts of technology, Domestic (kitchens, sewing machines etc) Cars, Trucks, Fire Engines, Motor bikes, Tools, Computers to name a few. There is literally something for everyone. This place is a must see.

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    Jayne H
    02/07/2018
  • star rating  Really great walk down memory lane, especially telling my daughter about stuff long obsolete, especially the domestic appliance area.

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    jonathandoak
    19/01/2021

    star rating  An awesome and interesting old museum. A great place to take the kids and they were allowed to climb into the old fire trucks and cars! We spent a couple... read more of hours here as there was so much to see. Cool things for the adults to see too. Friendly volunteers running the place and very cheap entry for kids and students, highly recommended.

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    CrystalG1365
    19/07/2018

    star rating  Laid out across half a dozen large sheds, the ECMT is a wonderfull trip down memory lane or into a forgotten world.
    Most exhibits are ‘as is, where is’... read more leaving the overall narrative to the viewer to work out. Not so much curated as collected and cared for.

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    geoffh452
    03/01/2021
  • star rating  We hadn’t planned to stop here, but with some time to spare in Gizzy, we thought we’d visit. We were blown away by the sheer amount of artefacts here -... read more from literally all sectors of everyday life of our recent past. Memory lane, good and bad, inspiring and interesting. Highly recommend.

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    Wowzap
    26/04/2021

    star rating  Well worth a visit. There was so much to see and appreciate. We were impressed by the range of things to view. So many cool old fire trucks and cars.

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    jbecknz
    23/04/2022

    star rating  If you are ever in Gisborne and have half day to spare away from the surf- make a point of visiting this place. It is the largest most eclectic... read more collection of old technology he I have seen. Do not be put off by the initial thought that this a sort of junkyard - but take a stroll through the past. Old agricultural machines; cars; fire engines; radios; computers; telephones; cookers; sewing machines and much more. The exhibitions are a bit disorganised- but that is part of the charm of his repository of old technology - where nothing is thrown away.

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    Patrick A
    04/03/2018
  • star rating  An amazing collection if you look past the untidy overcrowded items in some areas.
    Many things to remind me of my youth.

    $10 for adults, $ 5 for oldies... read more like me and very cheap for children, well worth while.

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    OverseasTraveler17
    20/11/2018

    star rating  We were welcomed by a very friendly volunteer. After paying a meagre $5 admission he pointed out the types of exhibits in each of a number of sheds, on... read more the floor plan map he gave us.
    There was a mass of items packed onto each " themed:" shed. Some items were labelled. Much was unrestored and possibly will never be. It is good to see it is undercover and loved rather than being taken to a scrap yard.
    It is worth the money if you want to see a huge collection of items from yesteryear.

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    malcolma43
    13/05/2017

    star rating  $5 per adult. Amazing collections. One of the things you must do in Gisborne. Collections of radio, computers, fire trucks, farming gear, sewing machines, kitchen appliances, .... so much to... read more see. An incredible collection of New Zealand history. This is run by volunteers who are doing the best they can to setup and maintain this collection. Very enjoyable outing.

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    kaweraukid
    28/01/2017
  • star rating  It demonstrates historic things about this gisborne city and put up for display. Not so interesting if the city is not so personal to you.

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    AbhishekS3902
    29/08/2019

    star rating  this is cheap as chips, at only $5 adult, $2 child and a good place to go if you have an hour or so spare. The collection is massive, with... read more a whole range of items. The kitchen and household section is the only area where the items are presented well and is really interesting. Unfortunately, it's hard to pick out items in other areas because there's so much rust and decay. It needs a good clear out. There's little point holding onto something from the past, just because it's old, as it detracts from all the other interesting stuff.

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    carriem41743
    19/01/2017

    star rating  I love takign my son here when we visit gisborne and we try to visit each time we come. Its a fun interactive museum and i especialy enjoy the... read more boat, you can go in it and look in all the rooms i really love it.

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    Acbriggs
    20/04/2017
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