To protect, share, and preserve Te Whanganui o Hei
Mercury Bay Museum
Open 7 Days: 10am to 4pm*
Last admission 3.15pm
* except Christmas/Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day.
Our Heritage
With exhibits about the Polynesian navigator Kupe, Maori artifacts, the Endeavour and James Cook, HMS Buffalo (sunk 1840), kauri timber and gum, the old dairy factory in which the museum is housed, early settlers’ records, natural history, fishing displays and a wonderful photographic collection.
Preserving the rich culture and heritage of Te Whanganui o Hei
EXHIBITIONS
Year Opened
+ Visitors per year
+ Archive Images
%
of Artifacts on Display
What’s On
Becs’ Belgium Adventures
Becs’ Belgium Adventures Thursday 27th November 5:30pm - Mercury Twin CinemasTickets $5 (Museum Fundraiser) Join Becs from the Mercury Bay Museum and hear all about her recent Belgium adventures to the IKUWA8 Conference, Museums & a WW1 Battlefield Tour.Her...
Spooky Halloween House 2025
Mercury Bay Museum presents - SPOOKY HALLOWEEN HOUSE!!!! Sat, 1st November, 2025from 16:00 - 19:00 One session =more scare = do you dare?? Once again we have one session for EVERYONE!!! Tickets are $8.00 each (all ages) - pre-sales preferred and highly recommended...
Down the Rabbit Hole – A Wonderland Experience
Join us as we go DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE into Wonderland and beyond It will be a fun, interactive evening - BUT can you beat the Queen of Hearts??? Saturday 2nd August 2025 6:00 - 8:30pm $40 per ticket - tickets available from the MuseumRefreshments included in ticket...
FOLLOW US ON OUR Nautical PROJECT!
HMS Buffalo Re-examination Project 2021
The HMS Buffalo Re-examination Project aims to complete a detailed site survey to provide an accurate interpretation of the HMS Buffalo shipwreck site located in Whitianga, New Zealand.
Winner of the Best Public Archaeology Initiative in Australasia 2023
The wreck site now lies 50 m off Buffalo Beach, Whitianga. The shipwreck is a protected archaeological site under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Our Stories
Let’s Get Becs to Belgium – final update 2025
In October 2025, Becs from the Mercury Bay Museum and her daughter Amelia made the long trip to Oostende, Belgium after an amazing yearlong community crowd-funding campaign to represent the Museum and Mercury Bay on the global stage. First stop and their base for the...
Research
Bringing you face to face with our heritage Here at The Mercury Bay Museum, we have an extensive archive of local records.DO YOU HAVE A LONG LOST RELATIVE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT?Here at The Mercury Bay Museum, we have an extensive archive of...
Keep the Lights On
Mercury Bay Museum Joins Campaign to Save Museums and Galleries.Today Mercury Bay Museum joined a nationwide campaign to emphasise the value of galleries and museums in Aotearoa New Zealand, and highlight the existential risks they’re facing. The campaign is a result...
Museum Explorers
Do you love visiting the museum?
We have a fantastic new kids club – Museum Explorers 🕵♂️🕵♀️!!
📔 There are passports to collect along with cool badges to add to them.
🔍 Neat adventures to go on with us at the Museum.
Come in for a visit and join them up – it’s FREE to join, FREE for them to visit but parents/guardians have a small fee to pay.