Taranaki Pioneer Village Inc.

15/10/2026

Friday Feature Building - Manaia Police Stables - I couldn't resist playing around with AI for this one...the horse, the policeman and the signage on the building have been added in the first image.

These Police Stables were formerly situated at Manaia. They arrived at the Taranaki Pioneer Village in pieces on 23 March 1988 and were reconstructed to become part of the village scene.

Little else is known about this building or its exact former location. If you have any additional information please share those details with us.

I did come across some interesting articles about policing in pre-colonial and colonial NZ for anyone who is interested:

https://teara.govt.nz/en/police/print
https://www.lynchsecurity.co.nz/manaia/

09/10/2026

Friday Feature Building - Cardiff Exchange was built in 1889 as part the old Inglewood Post Office Exchange which was part of a 100-line switchboard.
The building was moved to the property of Mr I J Harrison at Cardiff and a telephone exchange was opened in 1895 with Mr Edward Gilshnan as the first joint Postmaster/Telephonist. During the 1930s/1940s, a central telephone exchange was built in Stratford which did away with the need for small exchanges such as this Cardiff one.

03/10/2026

We're open all school holidays! Come for a visit! We've got train rides, we've got colouring competitions, a playground, old fashioned games in the barn and Scavenger Hunts! Bring a picnic and use our picnic tables in the playground or the village green by the lake. Family passes $30 (2 Adults + 2 Children)(additional children $2.50). Train rides are $4 with village entry or $5 if you just want to ride the train.

01/10/2026

Friday Feature Building - Agricultural Barn - Our Barn was first built in 1977 by the first of the PEP Scheme workers and village committee members. It has been reclad more recently.

The barn houses a collection of old machinery and agricultural items, together with old fashioned games for your entertainment.

The Barn is also avilable for hire for weddings, receptions, corporate BBQs/end of year functions and more. It can seat up to 80 people. It opens out on to our village green and lake, and includes and open air stage for live music.

If you are looking for a venue for your event please contact us by email - [email protected]

25/09/2026

Friday Feature Building - Okato Cottage - This house was built in 1853, at Tataraimaka by the Julian family, a family of early settlers, who had arrived in New Plymouth, in 1842 after a four-month voyage on “HMS Blenheim”. Richard Julian (born in Mawgan, Cornwall) and his wife Elizabeth (nee White) had 12 children. Their 5th child, Samuel White Julian, married Elizabeth Hellier. Tom Julian, their third child was born in New Plymouth in 1855 (and lived until 1943). The Julians spent a lot of their time at Puniho Pā, with the chief Porekopa, who was very helpful and friendly towards the early settlers and did a lot towards merging the two races towards a common nationhood. Tom Julian was known for his mastery of Te Reo (Māori language) and had the official job of interpreter for Māori brought before the court in New Plymouth. There was a massacre on the farm during the New Zealand wars, and this house is one of the few original houses to escape destruction at that time.

The house was later owned by Tom and Nancy Hammond (nee Luckin). Nancy had come to New Zealand as a child from Britain. They were loved and respected in the Okato area and their friends and neighbours donated the house to Pioneer Village in 1977.
The boulders in the garden were the original founding stones for the house in Okato.

Many of the weatherboards on the house are the original pit-sawn and hand-dressed timbers. The house would have been unlined for many years with cooking being done over an open fire until the purchase of a Luke cooking range during the 1870s. Mrs Hammond’s baking was legendary.

20/09/2026

With school holidays approaching, we are running two colouring competions.

Any child who comes to the village with a completed colouring
competition will get free entry (when accompanied by one or more
adults).

There are two age groups - under 10 and 10-13 years
The Train and Bear competion is designed for under 10 year olds
and the Egmont Settler building competion is designed for 10-13
year olds.

All completed entries will be judged by our Board and the winner
for each age group will receive a free Annual Family Pass to the
Village (for two Adults and up to 4 children) valued at $50-$55.
Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

18/09/2026

Friday Feature Building - The Library - The provenance of this building is somewhat unknown. It is made of fine imported Redwood timber and dates back to 1910-1914. It is believed that it was probably a Forester's Hall. It was donated to the Taranaki Pioneer Village by Mr J G Schumacher of Midhirst and was moved to its site at the village on 15 February 1985.

11/09/2026

Friday Feature Building - Brookes Road Cottage - This two bedroom cottage was built in Brookes Road, Cardiff, Stratford by Mr C. A. Lehman for his new bride to move into in 1882. It survived the 1886 fires, as did the family by burying themselves amongst the potato crops and in the well. The building was enclosed inside another building and was discovered when the exterior building was being demolished.

05/09/2026

03/09/2026

Friday Feature Building - McAllister's Photography Studio - Part 2 - James McAllister lived in Mountain Road and had his photographic studio on Broadway in Stratford from 1896 to 1943. He was born in Helensborough, Scotland and came to New Zealand at the age of six with his parents. He was educated in Dunedin, which is where he learned photography. He worked in Christchurch, then Wellington and eventually moved to Hawera before coming to Stratford where he was in business for 45 years. Following his retirement it was taken over by Arnold Kilmister followed by Kieran Best. We are very grateful to Keiran Best who donated the historical photography equipment from McAllister's studio we have on display at the village.

The McAllister Collection of photographs and negatives is held at the Alexander Turnbull Library.