Papatoetoe Historical Society Museum

Name: Papatoetoe Historical Society Museum
Address: 35 St George Street, Papatoetoe, Auckland, 2025, NZ
Telephone: +6492785447

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Papatoetoe Historical Society Museum

Preserving, collecting, and researching, historical information about the Papatoetoe district. Located in the Papatoetoe Chambers building.

25/06/2026

On Display

This early 20th century hand-cranked sharpening device was manufactured by the Luther Grinder Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

Dating from around 1908–1920, the machine features exposed cast iron gears, chain-driven mechanical movement, and a hand crank operated sharpening system.

Designed before modern electric sharpeners became common, machines like this relied entirely on manual power and clever engineering. The gearing system allowed for smooth dual-direction sharpening, helping create a more even edge on tools.

A fascinating example of practical industrial design from over 100 years ago.

Do you remember using tools like this, or have you seen similar machinery before?

23/06/2026

Mānawatia a Matariki

As the Māori New Year rises in the winter sky, we invite you to visit our free Matariki exhibition at Papatoetoe Museum.

Take time to reflect on those who have gone before us, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future through stories and displays inspired by Matariki.

📍 Papatoetoe Museum, 35 St George Street
📅 25 June to 23 July 2026

Open Thursdays, 11am to 3pm, and every third Saturday of the month, 1pm to 4pm.

Free entry. Donations welcome.

21/06/2026

Did you know Papatoetoe has its own heritage trail?

Created to celebrate Papatoetoe’s 150th Jubilee in 2012, the trail takes visitors on a journey through the area’s history, connecting important sites, landmarks, public artworks, and community stories.

From the Tāmaki River and Great South Road to Hunters Corner, old Papatoetoe, and the Kohuora wetlands, the trail highlights places that have helped shape our community over generations.

Along the way you’ll also discover three artworks commissioned especially for the Jubilee celebrations, along with many of the buildings and locations that tell the story of Papatoetoe’s past.

You can view the full heritage trail brochure here:https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/content/dam/ac/docs/arts-culture-heritage/papatoetoe-heritage-trail.pdf

Have you been around the heritage trail?

18/06/2026

Volunteers are the heartbeat of Papatoetoe Museum.

This National Volunteer Week, we celebrate the wonderful people who generously give their time, knowledge, skills, and passion to help preserve and share the stories of our community.

Whether welcoming visitors, caring for collections, researching local history, or working quietly behind the scenes, our volunteers play an important role in everything we do.

To every volunteer who has supported Papatoetoe Museum over the years, thank you. Your dedication, kindness, and commitment help keep our local history alive.

We are truly grateful for all that you do.

Happy National Volunteer Week.

16/06/2026

Out and About:

“Locals” outside the Papatoetoe Town Hall.
Date unknown.

Just an ordinary day in Papatoetoe, people sitting and chatting outside the Town Hall.

Do you recognise anyone in the photo?

14/06/2026

St George Street, Papatoetoe, 1956.

This aerial view captures the heart of Papatoetoe nearly 70 years ago, with the Papatoetoe Town Hall standing proudly at its centre.

Officially opened on 27 February 1918, the Town Hall was built to serve a growing community that had more than doubled in population within just a few years. Designed to seat up to 700 people, it quickly became a gathering place for concerts, dances, community meetings, fundraising events, school functions, films, and civic occasions.

Over the decades, generations of local people have walked through its doors, whether for celebrations, performances, public meetings, or simply to be part of community life.

This photograph was taken in 1956 by Trevor Peninan.

Do you have a favourite memory of the Town Hall?

11/06/2026

One of our museum volunteers says this old dental chair is one of her favourite pieces in the collection because it brings back such strong memories of the old school dental clinics.

“The dental clinic was attached to the primary school. We used to call it the Murder House. There was no anaesthetic, and the drill was pedal operated. The drills came in a little square box. The tools were much the same as today, picks, mirrors and drills. Your teeth were always black afterwards. The best part was getting back to class and seeing who was next to go to the dentist.”

For many people, the old school dental clinic is something they never forgot.

Do you remember yours?

See this and more at our Papatoetoe museum
Located in the Old Papatoetoe Council Chambers,
35 Saint George Street, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2025

Entry Free | Donations Welcome

Open Thursdays, 11am to 3pm
Every third Saturday of the month, 1pm to 4pm

09/06/2026

From the Archives:
In April 2024, Papatoetoe Historical Society President David Wyllie shared a talk titled:
“My Early Memories of St Johns Presbyterian Church, Hunters Corner Papatoetoe and surrounding area.”

First printed in the Papatoetoe Historical Society Newsletter, June 2024, the piece captures everyday memories of Papatoetoe in the 1950s and 60s, from weekly shopping trips and the old Foodtown supermarket, to church life, petrol stations with driveway attendants, and collecting mail from the busy Shirley Road Post Office.

David also reflects on the long history of St Johns Presbyterian Church and the early Otara settlers, including Rev John Macky’s arrival by cutter up the Tamaki River in 1854 to conduct services in Thomas Baird’s store shed beside the wharf.

Read the full story on our blog.
https://papatoetoemuseumblog.wordpress.com/2026/05/25/my-early-memories-of-st-johns-presbyterian-church-hunters-corner-papatoetoe-and-surrounding-area/

07/06/2026

Our Heritage Postcards and Posters - Maungakiekie - One Tree Hill

The "Our Heritage" series of postcards and posters featuring landscapes like Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) and Mangere Mountain was published by the former Auckland Regional Council (ARC) in the late 1990s, possibly 1998.

OUR HERITAGE

Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) scoria cone erupted about 20,000 years ago. Three large volcanic craters were formed (two are breached) and flows created 20 square kilometres of lava fields. These fields now lie beneath suburban Auckland. The highest point of the hill is topped with a single pine tree (replacing the original native tōtara), an obelisk monument, and the grave of Sir John Logan Campbell, the “founding father” of Auckland City.

Maungakiekie means ‘Hill of the Kiekie Vine’. Archaeological surveys have identified over 170 constructed terraces focused around three Māori pā (fortifications). Since the 1840s the hill has been reserved and in 1901 the adjacent Cornwall Park was gifted to the city by John Logan Campbell. It is a significant cultural landscape being one of the largest Māori settlement complexes in Aotearoa – New Zealand, it has been claimed to be the largest prehistoric fort in the world. Today it is administered by the Cornwall Park Trust Board and the Auckland City Council. The cone and its surrounds are protected as both an archaeological and a geological feature in the Auckland City Isthmus District Plan.

PHOTOGRAPHY: © ALASTAIR JAMIESON

Auckland City
www.akcity.govt.nz

Cornwall Park Trust Board
Phone: 0-9-630 8485

NZ Historic Places Trust Pouhere Taonga
www.historic.org.nz

Department of Conservation
Te Papa Atawhai
www.doc.govt.nz

Auckland Regional Council
www.arc.govt.nz

04/06/2026

South Auckland from the Sky:

Aerial view from Puhinui, 1947.

This aerial view shows Papatoetoe with farmland, scattered houses, and country roads before the suburbs began to grow.

Address

35 St George Street, Papatoetoe
Auckland
2025

Opening Hours

11am - 3pm

Telephone

+6492785447

Website

https://papatoetoemuseumblog.wordpress.com/

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