Te Awamutu Museum

Top choice in Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula


Te Awamutu Museum has a superb collection of Māori taonga (treasures) and an excellent display on the Waikato War. The highlight is the revered Te Uenuku (The Rainbow), an ancient Māori carving estimated to be up to 600 years old. If you’re a fan of the Finn brothers from Crowded House and Split Enz, videos, memorabilia and a scrapbook are available on request – Te Awamutu is their home town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula attractions

1. Rose Garden

0.32 MILES

The Rose Garden has 2500 bushes and 51 varieties with fabulously fruity names such as Lady Gay and Sexy Rexy. The roses usually bloom from November to May.

2. St Paul’s Church

2.88 MILES

All that remains of Rangiaowhia is the cute 1854 Anglican St Paul’s Church and the Catholic mission’s cemetery, standing in the midst of rich farming land…

3. Rangiaowhia

2.89 MILES

Before the Waikato invasion, Rangiaowhia (5km east of Te Awamutu on Rangiaowhia Rd; ask at the i-SITE for directions) was a thriving Māori farming town,…

4. Cambridge Museum

11.31 MILES

In a former courthouse, the quirky Cambridge Museum has plenty of pioneer relics, a military history room and a range of local history displays.

5. Jubilee Gardens

11.35 MILES

Apart from its Spanish Mission town clock, Jubilee Gardens is a wholehearted tribute to the ‘mother country'. A British lion guards the cenotaph, with a…

6. Mt Pirongia

12.73 MILES

The main attraction of the 170-sq-km Pirongia Forest Park is Mt Pirongia, its 959m summit clearly visible from much of the Waikato. The mountain is…

7. Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park

13.06 MILES

This bird barn has a nocturnal enclosure where you can see active kiwi energetically digging with their long beaks, searching for food. This is one of the…

8. Lake Karapiro

13.16 MILES

Eight kilometres southeast of Cambridge, Lake Karapiro is the furthest downstream of a chain of eight hydroelectric power stations on the Waikato River…