Get Involved

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  The people who work here are volunteers and they are there, because they like history and being around old things, and trying to make them breathe again. You will get... read more to see different kind of old stuff, starting from oldest washing and sewing machines to fire trucks and mopeds. You might even experience old mower working again. The price is well worth the value you get to see. I think they spent more in fuel when they demonstrated old things in working condition.

  Really great walk down memory lane, especially telling my daughter about stuff long obsolete, especially the domestic appliance area.

  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.

  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.

  $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.

  I visited recently and was blown away with how much there was to see. I love technology, engineering, cars and exploring how things work, that's why this place was... read more epic. Being able to be hands on was super engaging and is awesome for the children. There was almost too much to see and I only wish I had longer. I really like how you are left in this huge space to just explore and work out what's what. An amazing local resource and I'll be back again with friends and family. Oh and a bargain at $5.

  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.

  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.

  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.