What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4:30pm Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm Saturday 10am - 1pm

Papakura Museum

Name: Papakura Museum
Address: 209 Great South Road, Papakura, 2110, NZ
Telephone: 092982003
Price range: Not applicable

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Papakura Museum

We are a small, community-focused museum located in South Auckland, with an aim of connecting visitors with Papakura’s cultural and natural history.

Papakura Museum is a community facility founded by the members of the Papakura & District Historical Society (PDHS). The Museum's permanent display focuses on the rich and diverse history of Papakura, Drury and the surrounding districts. The Military Gallery focuses on local military history. The Museum curates several exhibitions a year encompassing a variety of topics and themes. Entry is free,

however donations are gratefully received. Papakura Museum also runs a high quality education programme, cemetery or local history walks and evening talks. The Papakura & District Historical Society holds a monthly meeting (4th Thursday of each month Feb-Nov) from 12 to 2pm, usually with a guest speaker. Please check out our website for details on upcoming events. Papakura Museum is proudly supported by the Papakura Local Board.

02/06/2026

From the Collection: Papakura High School, Samoa Stage, Polyfest 2004.

These photos capture Papakura High School students performing on the Samoa Stage during Polyfest 2004, a celebration of culture, identity, language, music, and community.

For decades, Polyfest has been an important part of life for many South Auckland students and whānau, bringing schools and communities together through performance and pride in culture.

Do you recognise anyone in the photos, or were you there at Polyfest in 2004?

31/05/2026

Papakura Now & Then

The Papakura Farmers store opened in August 1919, replacing the Willis Bros Store, which had served as the town’s main general store since 1853.

For generations, Farmers became part of everyday life in Papakura, from clothing and homewares to those familiar trips into town.

Farmers celebrated 100 years in 2019, with Papakura Museum marking the occasion through a special exhibition.

What are your memories of Farmers over the years?

28/05/2026

As NZ Music Month comes to a close, we thought we’d share this great album from New Zealand’s music history.

South Sea Rhythm by Bill Wolfgramm and His Islanders brought Pacific sounds, steel guitar, and island harmonies into homes across New Zealand during the 1950s.

Originally from Tonga, Bill Wolfgramm became one of New Zealand’s best-known Pacific musicians and helped popularise electric steel guitar music here in New Zealand.

The album includes tracks like:
• South Sea Swing
• Hilo March
• Tiger Shark
• Lovely Hula Hands
• Polynesian Love Song

Music like this became part of the soundtrack of many Kiwi homes, dances, gatherings, and community halls over the years.

Do you remember hearing Bill Wolfgramm and His Islanders growing up?

26/05/2026

On Display: What am I?

Before calculators and spreadsheets, this was how numbers were worked out.
• No batteries
• No screen
• Used for counting, adding, and tracking amounts

You’d find these in shops, schools, and businesses.
Simple, practical, and built to last.

Do you know what it is?

24/05/2026

Out and About

Blockbuster, Papakura 10 June 2004

Before streaming, this was Friday night.

Blockbuster was a video rental store where you’d head in, browse the shelves, and pick out a movie or two to take home. New releases, old favourites, kids’ films, all lined up in cases along the walls.

• Pick your movie
• Take it home for a night or two
• Rewind it before returning

Simple, social, and part of the weekly routine for a lot of households.
Do you remember going to Blockbuster?

Photo taken 10/6/2004

21/05/2026

Latest Papakura Museum Display:

BEFORE THE DRONE AGE - A series of aerial shots of Papakura

Long before drones hovered over our streets and suburbs, these images captured Papakura the old-fashioned way — from aircraft, courage, and a good deal of vibration. Taken high above the town across the decades, they reveal a changing landscape of roads, railways, paddocks, and progress, preserving moments in Papakura’s story from a perspective few ever saw.

Come along and explore Papakura from above.

Papakura Museum
Level 3, 209 Great South Road

Free entry | Donations welcome

Weekdays Open from 10:00am
Wednesday - late night until 6:00pm
Saturdays open from 10:00am

For enquiries:
[email protected]

19/05/2026

Wash Day, the Hard Way

Before washing machines, laundry in New Zealand was a full day’s work.
Water carried by hand. Heated in a copper (boiler). Clothes scrubbed, cranked, wrung, and hung to dry.
This hand-cranked washer on display at Papakura Museum shows just how physical everyday life once was, especially for women running households.
It wasn’t quick. It wasn’t easy. It was routine.

Read the full story on our blog and take a closer look at how wash day used to be.
https://bit.ly/washingnz

18/05/2026

Happy International Museum Day.

What’s one thing you remember from visiting a museum as a child?

A room?
An object?
A smell?
A feeling?

We’d love to hear your memories...

17/05/2026

Out and About

Lees Bros Garage, Great South Road, Papakura

This photo was taken February 1989, just before demolition.

A familiar local garage that kept Papakura moving, servicing cars, supplying parts, and helping generations of locals.

Do you remember Lees Bros?

14/05/2026

The Story of the “Lemon Squeezer”

The iconic New Zealand Army felt hat, nicknamed the “Lemon Squeezer”, was born out of practicality.

Early 1900s volunteers wore slouch hats with a fore-and-aft dent, but during a rain-soaked 1911 camp at Takapau, these dents filled with water. Lieutenant Colonel William George Malone of the 11th Taranaki Rifles reshaped the crown into four pinches, mirroring Mount Egmont and allowing rain to run off.

When General Alexander Godley saw the change, Malone argued it as a distinctive rifle regiment style. Approval followed, and a legend was born.

Adopted by New Zealand troops in World War I, the hat became a national military symbol, worn through both world wars. It was replaced by berets in 1960, retired in 1962, and revived in 1977 for ceremonial use.

On display: Worn by Private Charles William Garlick (WWII), who served with the 2nd Divisional Cavalry Regiment and later in Jayforce. His medals include the War Medal 1939–45 and the New Zealand War Service Medal.

See this and more in our military gallery.

Papakura Museum
Level 3, 209 Great South Road

Free entry | Donations welcome

Weekdays Open from 10:00am
Wednesday - late night until 6:00pm
Saturdays open from 10:00am

For enquiries:
[email protected]

Address

209 Great South Road
Papakura
2110

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm
Saturday	10am - 1pm

Telephone

092982003

Website

http://www.papakuramuseum.org.nz/

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