Puke Ariki

22/10/2026

Something mischievous is making its way to Puke Ariki Museum for summer. Next week, we’ll reveal more. All we’ll say for now is … It’s a lovely morning in the village – and you are a horrible goose.

An ACMI touring exhibition.

Image credit: Clip from Untitled Goose Game (2019). Courtesy
House House.

20/10/2026

The waterfall near the main lake in Pukekura Park was opened on 21 October 1970, the first in New Zealand to be illuminated at night. More than 100 tonnes of river boulders were used to construct the feature, made possible by a donation from the NZ Insurance Company. Three council employees were thrown into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall to christen it.

Find this and other historic photographs from NPDC’s Puke Ariki Heritage Collections here:
https://collection.pukeariki.com/objects/117389/pukekura-park-landscape

19/10/2026

There's still plenty to discover at the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award exhibition at Puke Ariki Museum.

Even if you've already visited, a second look can reveal something new - a detail in a portrait, a story behind an artwork, or a connection to tūpuna you hadn't noticed before.

Featuring 40 contemporary works by emerging Māori artists, alongside four Taranaki artist’s portraits, Ngāti Te Whiti oral histories and historic photographic portraits, this nationally touring exhibition is closing soon on 1 November.

18/10/2026

📷 Every photograph tells a story

Join Grand Master of Photography and Māori artist Tania Niwa for an interactive workshop exploring how observation, intuition and personal experience can transform a photograph into a powerful story.

He Korero tā Te Whakaahua – Every Photograph Tells a Story takes place at Puke Ariki Theatre on Sat 31 October, 1–3pm.

Spaces are limited to 40, so booking is required.
https://pukeariki.com/event/E31780D2176

15/10/2026

Step into Ōpunakē’s past this Taranaki Heritage Month.

Discover highlights from the remarkable Feaver Collection, 10,000 glass plate negatives capturing rural Taranaki life from the 1890s to the 1940s. From prize cows and tractors to weddings and birthday celebrations, each image offers a fascinating glimpse into the people and stories of the time.

Join the project team at Puke Ariki Theatre on Wed 28 October, 4–5pm.

Find out more:https://pukeariki.com/event/E31776D2174

13/10/2026

It’s 150 years today since the opening of the railway line connecting New Plymouth to Waitara, on 14 October 1875. Here workers cart debris from Mt Eliot (formerly Puke Ariki Pā) between Egmont and Queen Streets in New Plymouth for railway reclamation around 1900.

Find this and other historic photographs from NPDC’s Puke Ariki Heritage Collections here:
https://collection.pukeariki.com/objects/58059/removing-hill-mt-eliot-between-egmont-and-queen-streets-for-railway-reclamation

08/10/2026

Celebrate Taranaki Heritage Month and your Grandparents at our Grandparents’ Fun Day event, Sunday 18 October at Puke Ariki Library, Discover It!

Bring along grandparents or other friends and whānau, and create a special heritage box. Draw your family tree, try a typewriter, emboss your initials, and fill your afternoon with stories and laughter.

Your box may even become a family heirloom of the future.

📅 Sunday 18 October
🕜 1.30–3pm
✨ Drop in anytime - all welcome!

07/10/2026

🎨 Fine art - without the ‘stand back and don’t touch’!

Puke Ariki Museum is thrilled to host FRINGE Taranaki’s event ’I Don’t Know Much About Art But I Know What I Lick’, a playful, interactive art show for children and their grown-ups.

7–8 November 202630 minutes | Multiple sessions

Find out more and get tickets at TAFT’s FRINGE Taranaki website:
https://www.fringetaranaki.co.nz/shows/i-don't-know-much-about-art-but-i-know-what-i-lick

06/10/2026

If you missed our first session of Underwater Straw Creatures at Puke Ariki Museum, here’s your reminder that the final session is happening tomorrow Thursday 8 October, 10am–12pm.

Kids can invent their own ocean creature out of straws, inspired by our Reef Alive exhibition.

Ages 4+, no booking needed, all materials provided.

05/10/2026

Do you know the people in this photograph?

This image is part of Rekindled: Ōpunakē Life through the Feaver Collection, a project sharing thousands of historic photographs from Ōpunakē and rural Taranaki.

If you recognise anyone in this image, or know the story behind it, we'd love to hear from you.

📧 [email protected]
🔗 Explore more photographs: pukeariki.com/feavercollection

GNF1897, Feaver Collection, Puke Ariki. Three unidentified women, early 1900s.
https://collection.pukeariki.com/objects/141645/unidentified-women

Journey into Ōpunakē’s fascinating past, as documented by the Feaver family photographers, and help us identify the people and their stories.