Thames School of Mines

28/05/2026

26/05/2026

On Sunday, we had the privilege of hosting a group of Rangatahi from Rosmini College in Auckland. Such an awesome group to show around.

We often have school groups visiting, so if you would like more information, or to book a visit, please contact us:
📱0274170425
💻[email protected]
Hours: Wednesday - Saturdays 10am-4pm

22/05/2026

“Historic buildings maintain themselves.” Yeah right.

They survive only through constant care - routine inspections, skilled repairs, and ongoing maintenance that push back against time, weather, and decay.

Every preserved detail is the result of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga choosing to protect it, restore it, and keep its story alive for future generations.

Our Mineralogical Museum has had a fresh new makeover - and WOW, what a transformation. ✨

The ceiling and walls are now glowing in dreamy pastel blue, pink, and yellow, and the whole space feels like a beautifully iced cake that’s almost too delicious to resist. 🍰

We’re getting so excited to reopen our doors and share this gorgeous new look with you all. The countdown is officially on!

While our Mineralogical Museum makeover continues, we’ve temporarily scaled our tours down to the school only - but there’s still plenty to discover. ✨

Tickets are currently available from our old shop on Cochrane Street, if the signs are out - we’re open! 10-4pm.

We look forward to welcoming you and sharing a wonderful guided tour through the historic Thames School of Mines. ⛏️

13/05/2026

We've been busy painting furniture lovely pastel colours today at the Thames School of Mines as part of our renovation in the Mineral Muesum.

Yes, we know, nothing says rugged goldfields heritage like a nice pastel colour scheme!

The Mineral Museum was originally reclad and repainted in the 1950's. We're retaining the pastel shades as part of the historic character.

Whilst the museum will still be in the process of being renovated, we will be re-opening the school for tours next week. Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm. Come to the site of the old shop to get your tickets. 101 Cochrane Street, Thames.
💛💜🩷🩵

12/05/2026

Exciting start to our week here at the Thames School of Mines with the start of our renovation in the Mineral Museum!

Keep watching for progress shots. 📣🪣🧽

06/05/2026

Kia ora e te whānau...
We've moved back to our Thames School of Mines site. Here's a snapshot of memories from our education activities in the Carnegie Library. Ngā mihi nui to all of the whānau both locally and around NZ who participated and helped to bring the fun and creativity!!
Watch this space for new and exciting changes...
We will be back up and running from the beginning of June. 😃🪨⚒️

23/04/2026

News Flash 📣📰🎙️

The Thames School of Mines is moving back home!

Our last day open at the Old Carnegie Library Building will be this Saturday, ANZAC Day, from 1 to 4 PM. We will reopen for tours after our relocation on Wednesday, May 13th.

We also have exciting news: our much-loved Mineralogical Museum will undergo renovations in May. The dusky pastel scheme from the 1950s will get a fresh coat of paint, and our shop and ticketing office will reopen in this space at the end of the month. Don't worry—we love our pastel shades, so they won't change.

During May, the Mineral Museum and shop will be closed, but we will continue offering TSOM tours in our school buildings from Wednesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Come and explore these fascinating rooms, which hold a rich history of mining education, assays, laboratory work, experimental plants, and much more.

We are excited to launch our new shop and ticketing office at the end of May, so stay tuned for that announcement. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to 101 Cochrane Street!

📸 Photo Credit: Brent Courtney

16/04/2026

Today we boarded both the Tainui waka as well as the Te Arawa waka and embarked on a journey to Aotearoa, starting with Karakia. We learned how Māori navigated their way here and arrived to find a "land of plenty, with deafening bird song". We learnt about their daily lives, how they used Maramataka to guide their days, what each season represented to them and shared kai.
Ngā mihi nui to Mātua Craig Reidy for coming in and sharing his time and knowledge with the tamariki and their whānau.

15/04/2026

Interactive Storytelling with Mātua Craig Reidy, (Ngāti Maru, Te Rarawa)
Arrive tomorrow at 10am, as the (cushion) waka will be departing after our karakia at 10.30am. Along the journey to Aotearoa, we will learn about different areas within our rohe where Māori people settled and how different geographical sites suited different purposes.
There will also be a variety of activities to complete throughout the day related to what you will learn. 🛶🌌

⏰10am - 2pm (Please arrive at 10am) 😀
📅Thursday 15th April 2026 (Tomorrow 😀)
📍Carnegie Library - 705 Queen Street,
💰 Koha entry at the door

15/04/2026

WOW! Such an awesome turn out of tamariki and their whānau today, excited to learn all about the formation of fossils, and the opportunity to create their very own shell fossils! :) Our space was buzzing with enthusiasm, experimenting, fun and creative mess! :)
Ngā mihi nui to all of those who came in today to join in the fun, and an EXTRA big ngā mihi to Lian, Kyrie, Johan and Maia who generously brought in 3 amazing fossils of theirs that they donated to us to have on display! :)

Don't forget tomorrow we have our special guest, Mātua Craig Reidy, who is going to take us back in time and on the journey that the Māori tangata embarked on, to Aotearoa back in the 1300s. (Note) This is starting at 10am with the (cushion) waka ready for departure at 10.30am....