FRONT PORCH GALLERY

This gallery highlights stories and visual displays created by the Museum about local community topics. We also utilise this space to highlight amazing collection taonga objects, specific anniversary celebrations, community projects, arts, and more. To find out what we currently have on show check out our Facebook or call in to the Museum at 135 Roche Street, Te Awamutu. This space is always changing with new, vibrant and meaningful displays, so it’s always good to check up on what’s happening our Front Porch!

Rahapa Exhibit

Rahapa Exhibit

Rangiaowhia, a small journey east of Te Awamutu, was a thriving and productive village, until 1864. From the 1830s Māori and invited European settlers worked collaboratively to develop this into one of the regions most important agricultural areas. One of the most significant relationships that nurtured property for both Māori and settlers was between Rahapa Te Hauata and Thomas Power.

This exhibition shares personal whānau accounts about life in Rangiaowhia during 1800s up until the British Invasion into the Waikato 1864. It also highlights letters sent by Thomas Power and Rahapa to Governor Grey 1865, expressing dismay at the soldiers treatment of the locales and compensation. A powerful story which whānau members today have instilled in their memories.

The following is an extract from one of the exhibition panels about Thomas Power, set down by his son-in-law Thomas Moisley in 1938:

“In 1845 Sir George Grey sent Mr T Power to instruct the natives in agriculture and he made Rangiaowhia his headquarters. He brought down from Auckland horses, drays and ploughs, harrows and cows. The first of these any sorts of implements in the Waikato. They used to bring goods up the Waipa River as far as the pun then up the pun River as far as what was the Ford Redoubt in the later years. 

Each settlement around Rangiaowhia and Pukeatua at that time was divided by a row of peach trees to mark their boundaries. That is how Rangiaowhia got such a name for peaches which were very luxurious in those days.”

This photograph of Rahapa is a copy from an original Tin-type, also known as Ferro-type. The photograph is made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal coated with dark lacquer or enamel – which holds the photographic emulsion. This type of photograph was popular during 1860s-1870s.

Squid Front Porch

Squid Front Porch

SHOWING ON THE FRONT PORCH FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2024!   Celebrate the Colossal Squid and it's freaky features! For the month of January and February we are excited to display amazing information on the colossal squid. Did you know the colossal squid...

Amazing Kōura Exhibit

Amazing Kōura Exhibit

SHOWING ON THE FRONT PORCH FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2023 - THE AMAZING FRESHWATER KŌURA!   Celebrate the amazing freshwater Kōura, your Tui & Tama Club mascot friend! For the month of December we are excited to display the amazing kōura. Did you know there are...

The Amazing Tuna

The Amazing Tuna

SHOWING ON THE FRONT PORCH FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2023 - WE LOVE TUNA!   We Love Tuna with your Tui & Tama Club mascot - Tuna! For the month of November we are excited to show the amazing life of Tuna on Front Porch Gallery at the Te Awamutu Museum – Education...

Front Porch Taniwha

Front Porch Taniwha

SHOWING ON THE FRONT PORCH FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2023 - MĀORI MYTHS & LEGENDS!   Celebrate Māori Myths & Legends with Taniwha, your Tui & Tama Club mascot friend! For the month of October we are excited to display three local myths and legends in the...

Te Hokioi Exhibit

Te Hokioi Exhibit

SHOWING ON THE FRONT PORCH FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2023 - TE HOKIOI E RERE ATU NA!Celebrate Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori Month with Huhu, your Tui & Tama Club mascot friend! For the month of September we are excited to display information on one of our significant...

Family History Month

Family History Month

SHOWING IN THE GALLERY FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2023 - FAMILY HISTORY MONTHCELEBRATE FAMILY HISTORY MONTH WITH RURU, YOUR TUI & TAMA CLUB MASCOT FRIEND! For the month of August we have activities, exhibitions and crafty arty workshops supporting whakawhanaungatanga...

Matariki 2023

Matariki 2023

SHOWING IN THE GALLERY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2023 - MATARIKIMatariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in the east midwinter and heralds in the start of Te Tau Hou, the Māori New Year! Iwi across Aotearoa understand and...

Rangiaowhia

Rangiaowhia

Rangiaowhia, a small journey east of Te Awamutu, was a thriving and productive village, until 1864. From the 1830s Māori and invited European settlers worked collaboratively to develop this into one of the regions most important agricultural areas. One of the most...

New Zealand Land Wars

New Zealand Land Wars

"E hoa! Ka whahwai tonu mātou, mō Ake, Ake Ake!" When called upon to surrender by the British Troops at Ō-rākau Pā in 1864, Rewi Maniapoto uttered those famous words translated into English - "Friend! We will fight on for ever and ever!"  Ō-rākau Pā was sacked 2nd...

Te Wiki o Te Reo 2022

Te Wiki o Te Reo 2022

Nau Mai, Haere Mai ki te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu! Join us for the month of September as we take this opportunity to celebrate, promote and encourage Te Reo Māori during Māori language week. On the Front Porch Gallery we have chosen amazing and unique taonga objects...

PUNCH

PUNCH

PUNCH: COMING HOME Promoted at the Regent Theatre around the screening of the film Punch and featuring Te Awamutu born writer, designer and director Dr. Welby Inges' preparatory sketches for the film. "The rough sketches in pencil, ink and coffee granules were made...

Ancestry Month August 2022

Ancestry Month August 2022

To support Ancestry Month August 2022, we're showing the Queen Victoria Lithograph - a portrait of The Royal Family Queen Victoria, Price Albert and their five children. 1846. The New Zealand Society of Genealogists Te Rangapū Kaihikohiko o Aotearoa observes Family...

Wooden Collectibles

Wooden Collectibles

Wooden Collectibles A digital and artefact display of an amazing variety of objects from the Museum collection made specifically from wood. What makes these objects interesting is their connection to the social history of a place and its people. Who make the object...

ANZAC 2022

ANZAC 2022

How do you commemorate ANZAC? ANZAC is a special time of our calendar year when we remember those who fought in the World War II. Most recently, it is also a time to remember and reflect on all those who have lost their lives in wars New Zealand soldiers have...

Kaleidoscope of Colour 2022

Kaleidoscope of Colour 2022

A Trip to view the Van Gogh Live Exhibition This year the artists from Enrich+ traveled up to view this amazing exhibition. It was the inspiration of their 2022 exhibition on the Front Porch Gallery at Te Awamutu Museum. We're proud and honoured to collaborate with...

Queen Victoria Lithograph

Queen Victoria Lithograph

Portrait of The Royal Family Queen Victoria,  Prince Albert and their Five Children. Lithograph 1846 This  lithograph is an exquisite  exemplar of the reproduction of a portrait of the British imperial family. Franz Xavier Winterhalter, painter to the Royal Courts of...

Forged in Fire

Forged in Fire

Forged in Fire! An exhibition encompassing images and information about the inspiring process representing the collective passion for wood-fired pottery, bringing together artists and their skills to create, maintain and fire a unique anagram kiln located in...

Rahapa Te Hauata

Rahapa Te Hauata

Front Porch Exhibition for October 2021 This exhibition developed from a huge interest from whānau members and locals wanting to hear more about this amazing story and share it with our community. On the Front Porch we show...

Kia Kaha te Reo Māori

Kia Kaha te Reo Māori

Celebrating Māori Language Month at the Museum! Nau mai, hoki mai ki te whare taonga o Te Awamutu. We have a month long exhibition celebrating te reo Māori for the month of September on the Front Porch Gallery. Ae, that's right! Come in and see some Museum collection...

Family History Month

Family History Month

Researching history can be an adventure! This exhibition highlighted the journey of some of our most significant taonga Māori, objects, and archives, accessioned into the Museum collection. Each of the frames highlights an amazing part of their story and timeline of...

Matariki Events 2021

Matariki Events 2021

Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou 2021! Happy Māori New Year 2021! Matariki is a special time to celebrate the rising of the star cluster that heralds in the Māori New Year. It's a time to create a foundation of positive growth and development. This year we had amazing activities...

ANZAC Commemoration 2021

ANZAC Commemoration 2021

We will remember them... This is a Museum created exhibition about how locals from Waipā commemorate ANZAC. It highlights how ANZAC came about, ANZAC memorials in the district, how we used to and how we commemorate ANZAC today. Showing on the Front Porch Gallery April...

Wishing Wall 2020-2021

Wishing Wall 2020-2021

Wishing Wall This interactive wall is a fun way for everyone to make a wish for Christmas 2020 or New Year 2021 for someone special or yourself. Choose a beautiful coloured butterfly, write or draw a picture of your wish and add it to the wall. This exhibition has...

Kaleidoscope of Colour

Kaleidoscope of Colour

Supporting Autism Awareness Month The Te Awamutu Museum has been celebrating Autism Awareness Month by showcasing local Enrich+ artists art work on the Front Porch Gallery, since 2015. In 2016, the Museum decided to name future exhibitions ‘Kaleidoscope of Colour’ and...

Guess the Mystery Object?

Guess the Mystery Object?

Can you identify the weird and wacky objects from our collection?! This is an interactive exhibition where we ask you to look through a myriad of photographs of objects and write a descriptive label of what you might think it is and what function it was made for. Then...