Picton Heritage and Whaling Museum

20/10/2026

⚓ ALERT: Wrong ship spotted. It was a test! And you all passed because many of you rightly pointed out that the ship in the photo is not the HMNZS New Zealand in 1913. It is, in fact the HMNZS Bellona, visiting Picton in bright sunshine in October 1948 on a beautiful day just like today. HMS Bellona was one of a class of five anti-aircraft cruisers ordered by the Royal Navy in 1937, and was a well-travelled and heavily involved warship during World War II, serving in major operations from the Normandy landings and Norwegian coast to the dangerous Arctic convoy routes to Russia.

She became the RNZN flagship in 1946 after a refit. For the next two years, she was the Navy’s only operational warship, undertaking training exercises and port visits. Her service included a memorable grounding on Nelson’s mudflats in 1948, when the combined weight of her 550 crew helped free her. While her crew were on shore leave in Lyttelton they assisted during the 1947 Ballantynes department store fire in Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s most notorious and deadly fires. She fired her guns for the last time in March 1949, sinking an old coal hulk in Palliser Bay.

We are delighted that so many of you know so much about naval history in New Zealand and welcome your comments. They are always welcome.

Original (incorrect) post:

The HMS New Zealand visiting Picton, 1913. She was one of three indefatigable battle cruisers. Funded by the NZ government and gifted to Britain, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1912.

During 1913, New Zealand was sent on a ten-month tour of the British Dominions, with an emphasis on a visit to her namesake nation, before getting back to British waters for the start of the First World War.

During WW1 She was hit by enemy fire only once, sustaining no casualties. Her status as a "lucky ship" was attributed by the crew to a Māori piupiu (warrior's skirt) and heitiki (pendant) worn by the captain during battle.

You could look at this photo for a long time - look at all the visitors checking out all parts of the ship and what excitement it would have been for Picton welcoming her in.

18/10/2026

🚂💛 Picton’s darling little railway needs you!

Picton Rail & Sail -Aotearoa NZ is a much-loved part of our heritage in Picton and a treasured part of our foreshore. For generations, children have loved riding the mini train, hopping on the nearby merry-go-round at Kiwi Golf Picton 🎠 and making happy memories. ❤️

Picton Rail & Sail are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help keep the trains and boats going, and the kids delighted (not to mention the adults).

Could you lend a hand? Please share, like the page, and help spread the word so this local treasure can keep going for generations to come. 🚉 ⛵️

with us at Picton Rail & Sail -Aotearoa NZ !!!! Create memories for the young and the young at heart ❤️

15/10/2026

Congratulations to Geoff Brannan who won the raffle for the Interislander voucher. We look forward to seeing Geoff in Picton in the not too distant future.

Thank you for all those who entered the raffle.

07/10/2026

🐋 THE NEW MUSEUM TEES HAVE LANDED! 👕

Our last museum tees sold out, and they’ve become a bit of a collector’s item, proudly worn here in Aotearoa and across the ditch by people who love our Picton and Sounds heritage. 🇳🇿

So… here’s the next one 👀

👕 Brand new tees
🔥 Special launch price $45
🧢 Matching caps $20

Available now at Waitohi Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum, 9 London Quay, Picton.

And this is just the beginning… 👀
☀️🌊 SUMMER EXPLORER coming soon!

Grab your tee, get out exploring Picton & Marlborough, and show us where you end up. 📸

06/10/2026

🌸 SPRING CELEBRATION AT THE MUSEUM! 🌸

Come along to the Museum and celebrate spring and the longer nights with us! 🌿

📅 Friday, 9 October
🕓 4–7pm
📍 Waitohi Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum, 9 London Quay, Picton

Bring the kids, drop them off at the activity table, while you take a wander around the Museum, have a chat and enjoy a relaxed afternoon together.

☕️ Free hot chocolate & marshmallows for the kids
🍪 A cuppa and a bikkie for the grown-ups

Best of all- it’s FREE! 💛

Pop in, stay for as little or as long as you'd like. We’d love to see you! 🌸

27/09/2026

The mysteries of the s***m whale...

Do you know why s***m whales have such massive heads?

Could.it be that the s***maceti, the highly prized (especially in the 18th and 19th century whaling) fatty substance that could be congealed to make products like soap and candles, found in the cranial area of a s***m whale, help the s***m whale use its head as a battering ram to destroy ships ?

Read on!

A survivor of the shipwreck that inspired the novel Moby Dick had a theory about how a s***m whale could destroy a vessel many times its size – 200 years later, he's been proved right.

24/09/2026

WIN A $400 INTERISLANDER TRAVEL VOUCHER

We’re raffling a $400 Interislander travel voucher, with just 50 tickets available at $20 each.

Whether you’re heading north for a holiday, visiting family or planning a road trip, this could put $400 towards your next journey.

And best of all, your ticket helps us raise funds towards the Waitohi Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum renovation project – helping us create a more inviting, watertight and welcoming museum for our community and visitors.

🎟️ $20 per ticket
⛴️ 50 tickets only
🎁 $400 Interislander voucher
🏛️ Supporting our museum renovation

To be in to win 'follow' our page, email [email protected] requesting a raffle ticket. If you are one of the first 50 to email us we will respond to you with our bank account details.

Competition ends Friday 9 October. We will notify the winner the following week.

23/09/2026

✨ A HUGE thank you to the incredible University of Canterbury Student Volunteer Army! ✨

These absolute stellar angels came to Waitohi Picton over the weekend, giving their time and energy to help out organisations across our community. We were so lucky to have some of them at the museum helping us with a big clear out and tidy up. 🧹📦💪

We really appreciate the time and effort they gave to helping us get things sorted and looking ship-shape!

What an amazing bunch of young people. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa 💙

Waitohi Picton was lucky to have you! 🌊⚓️