Distance Museum

In the Tawhiti Museum you will find many small and large dolls about the history of the Mt. Egmont region. Above all, it's about the history of the Maori and the first settlers. These are presented very differently, in life-sized dolls and in a miniature version. I liked the miniature version much better.

Very different scenes are depicted in many showcases. The encounter between the Maori and the first settlers or how the settlers “sell” them weapons. The Maori are shown doing their war dance or how they used their nature trails.

Everyday scenes from the settlers' lives are also depicted. All miniatures are presented with great inventiveness and attention to detail.

There is a large Maori Pa (village) on display in the exhibition, and I read that this Pa was very close to the museum. Since I found the place on the map, I decided to stop there. Of course I'm aware that you can't see anything there anymore. But I'm still drawn to this place. When you get there, there is a big sign saying that this is a historical place. However, there is a fence and the gate in front of it is locked. I'm unsure whether I'm really allowed in there when I find a small gate next to the gate that can be opened. I'll just go in. Shortly afterwards there will be another locked gate, but with a staircase over the gate. So the tour of discovery continues. There is a third gate, I overcome that too and then I go uphill in a circle around the hill. The grass is probably a meter high, but the path in front of me is flattened. I go further and further forward, when I'm almost at the top, I see that the mountain doesn't rise evenly, there are ravines around the whole hill, but they're also pretty overgrown. When I get to the top, I have a great view of Mt. Egmont and even more tall grass. However, the trail continues, so I follow it and in the middle there is a red fence in a square and there is a carved figure in it. These are the rest of the former Maori Pa.