Cromwell Museum

Cromwell Museum The official FB page for Cromwell's Museum! Some displays are based on material uncovered by archaeological work done at that time. And there is more.

Managed by the Cromwell Museum Trust, the Cromwell Museum provides a fascinating insight into the unique and multi-layered history of Cromwell. The Museum was initially developed in the 1980’s to showcase the Clyde Dam project which created a new lake and drowned the town centre of Cromwell. Cromwell was founded on the gold rushes of the mid 1800s becoming a respectable Victorian town by the early

1900s surrounded by orchards, mining, chafer beetles and river dredges. Troubled by floods, sand storms, rabbits and even typhoid, the Cromwell Museum is big on depth and variety. Located in the Cromwell Mall it is a must to visit. Opening Hours 10am to 4 pm 7 days a week
(Except Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Morning)

Group Bookings: The Cromwell Museum welcomes large groups of visitors
including special interest and school groups. Prior
notification is required to ensure your experience with us
exceeds your expectation.

WANTED - HELP MARKET OUR MUSEUMThe Cromwell Museum Trust is looking for a volunteer to assist with online marketing. Wi...
24/05/2026

WANTED - HELP MARKET OUR MUSEUM

The Cromwell Museum Trust is looking for a volunteer to assist with online marketing. With our magnificent new lakeside location opening mid-July, we’re looking to ramp up marketing to locals and visitors.
We’d love someone with experience in digital marketing who wants to help showcase Cromwell’s rich history and cultural heritage. It would likely involve a few hours each fortnight or so across our website, social media channels, and digital marketing.
If we can’t recruit a suitable volunteer, then we may consider contracting a digital marketer on discounted terms, although this would be subject to funding availability.
If this sounds like something for you, please message us or respond via comments.

We're delighted to announce we will open at our new location in July with a new official name. Mana whenua have gifted ...
08/05/2026

We're delighted to announce we will open at our new location in July with a new official name.
Mana whenua have gifted a te reo Māori name for the museum: Te Huika Wai.
Te huika means ‘the gathering’, and wai generally means ‘water’, but can also refer to knowledge, people, memories, resources and stories – all fitting for a museum and cultural space.
This name reflects the confluence of the two rivers – Kawarau and Clutha/Mata-au, where the museum will reside in its new, permanent home as the “storytelling heart” of Te Puna Mahara | Cromwell Memorial Events Centre.
Our new museum will be an interactive experience including animations, interactive touchscreens, and audiovisual aspects. The project team, incorporating Story Inc as design consultants, has been working with the Cromwell Museum Trust on its new space. The $1.6 million fit-out has been generously community-funded with contributions from the Central Lakes Trust, Lottery Grant Board and Otago Community Trust.
We've now closed at our former location in The Mall to relocate to our new space, to allow enough time to prepare the collection items for removal, and the dismantling of current exhibits.

Our new Cromwell Museum is located in the Cromwell Memorial and Events Centre in Melmore Terrace. The next stage in our ...
30/04/2026

Our new Cromwell Museum is located in the Cromwell Memorial and Events Centre in Melmore Terrace.
The next stage in our journey is to install our collection items in brand new display areas and cases. The fun part!

Our museum in The Mall is now closed to the public while we continue preparing for the transition to the new site. We th...
29/04/2026

Our museum in The Mall is now closed to the public while we continue preparing for the transition to the new site. We thank all of our visitors and supporters over the years, and look forward to welcoming you in July in our new museum.

Things are gearing up for the shift to our new museum! First item to land is the Cromwell Town Model, which will be a ne...
20/04/2026

Things are gearing up for the shift to our new museum! First item to land is the Cromwell Town Model, which will be a new interactive display.

Sorting through our collection archives and these index cards dating back to the 1980s stored information about our coll...
12/11/2025

Sorting through our collection archives and these index cards dating back to the 1980s stored information about our collection items.
This system is now replaced by the magic of digital archiving and we now, thanks to our volunteers, are able to make our collection available online via eHive.
You can search the Cromwell Museum collection on eHive https://ehive.com/collections/5984/cromwell-museum

This tapestry is on display at the Cromwell Museum and depicts the story of a Wellington soldier Alfred James Bradley wh...
10/11/2025

This tapestry is on display at the Cromwell Museum and depicts the story of a Wellington soldier Alfred James Bradley who fought in France and Belgium in WWI.
The tapestry also represents the story of Maria Hull (the nurse in the white uniform) who was decorated for her bravery with the Belgian Croix de Guerre. She was the only woman in that war to have the high class Order of Leopold II with an Albert Palm bestowed upon her.
With thanks to the Shuttleworth Family for loaning us this magnificent tapestry which was woven by Elizabeth Arnold.

Here is a sneak peek at our new museum space being built and how it could look when it's all installed and ready for you...
06/11/2025

Here is a sneak peek at our new museum space being built and how it could look when it's all installed and ready for you to visit us.
A big thank you to Story Inc for their expertise in helping to design our new museum.

We've been busy conserving and reframing our portrait collection for our display in the new museum. In the course of thi...
06/11/2025

We've been busy conserving and reframing our portrait collection for our display in the new museum. In the course of this exercise we found out that several of our pioneer portraits are a type of enhanced photograph called an Opalotype. Images are transferred onto milk glass and then hand painted. These were produced by Eden George in Dunedin during the 1880s.
A big thank you to Toni of Creative Framing in Cromwell who has reframed this collection with museum glass and beautiful ornate frames in keeping with the originals (which were very badly damaged). Preserved for another 100 years.

The countdown is on before Cromwell Museum shifts to new premises in the Memorial Hall building.Lots to do before we sta...
06/10/2025

The countdown is on before Cromwell Museum shifts to new premises in the Memorial Hall building.
Lots to do before we start packing and ready for opening in 2026!

Address

Te Puna Mahara 36 Melmore Terrace
Cromwell
9310

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 3pm
Tuesday 11am - 3pm
Wednesday 11am - 3pm
Thursday 11am - 3pm
Friday 11am - 3pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm
Sunday 11am - 3pm

Telephone

+6434453287

Website

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