Mercury Bay Museum

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Mercury Bay Museum Mercury Bay Museum opened in 1979 and with more than 7,000 visitors per year it has become the most visited museum on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

📍So What's Happening at the Museum for Halloween you ask?? Well ...🍬TRICK or TREAT friendly TRAIL 3pm - 5pm FREE EVENT🎃C...
24/10/2026

📍So What's Happening at the Museum for Halloween you ask?? Well ...

🍬TRICK or TREAT friendly TRAIL 3pm - 5pm FREE EVENT

🎃CARNIVAL FAIR from 3pm-5pm - Carnival ticket bundle 6x Tickets $10 including
🎁LUCKY DIP | 🛟RING TOSS | 🕸️ CREEPY CRAWLER CATCH & more

🏆EVERY WIN AT THE FAIR GOES INTO WIN VOUCHERS FROM COROGLEN TAVERN & SMITTY'S SPORTS BAR & GRILL

AND THEN DONT FORGET -
🎈MUSEUM SCAREHOUSE from 6pm-8pm 🎟️Scare House Entry $8 per person

☀️The sun is out and it's time to get your water toys ready for the long weekend!🌊 The seagull is ready, the skis are go...
23/10/2026

☀️The sun is out and it's time to get your water toys ready for the long weekend!

🌊 The seagull is ready, the skis are good to go and the swimming togs are fashionable for the season!!

🏖️Before you go out on the water - pop in to the Museum and travel back to the exciting 60s & 70s where life at the beach was simple!

📍Mercury Bay Museum
📅 Open all Labour weekend
⏰ 10am to 3pm - last admission 2:15pm

⚠️Not all sea w**d is equal!! 🥬This one is Wakame/ Undaria - Undaria pinnatifida🗝️Key Facts:🟤Type: Large brown seaw**d /...
22/10/2026

⚠️Not all sea w**d is equal!!

🥬This one is Wakame/ Undaria - Undaria pinnatifida

🗝️Key Facts:

🟤Type: Large brown seaw**d / kelp (1 to 2 meters long)

📢Common Names: Wakame, Japanese kelp, Asian seaw**d, or the "gorse of the sea"

🏯Origin: Native to temperate coastal waters of northeast Asia (Japan, Korea, and China)

⚠️Invasive Status: It has spread globally and is considered an invasive pest in places like New Zealand, Australia, and parts of Europe, where it can form dense underwater forests and displace native species. It is here in New Zealand and on the Coromandel

🥬Use: It is edible and widely cultivated and used in Asian cuisine (such as in soups and salads)

🛑 If you see this species please report it online report.mpi.govt.nz/pest or call 0800 80 99 66

🎟️TICKETS ON SALE NOW 🎟️ Pre-purchase your tickets for the Scare House today and miss the lines!!🎃 Museum Scare House - ...
22/10/2026

🎟️TICKETS ON SALE NOW 🎟️ Pre-purchase your tickets for the Scare House today and miss the lines!!

🎃 Museum Scare House - Halloween Carnival 🎈
📍Mercury Bay Museum
📅 Saturday 31st October 2026
⏰ 6pm to 8pm
🎟️ Scare house entry $8 per person - children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult

📝Please note the tickets for the Carnival Fair can only be purchased at the event

🚩The bunting is up!🦑The squid is in the building!🎉We are ready to party this long Labour Weekend!📍Mercury Bay Museum📅 Op...
21/10/2026

🚩The bunting is up!

🦑The squid is in the building!

🎉We are ready to party this long Labour Weekend!

📍Mercury Bay Museum
📅 Open everyday this long weekend
⏰ 10am to 3pm (last admission 2:15pm)

📍Don't forget to include us in your Labour weekend plans! Just ONE week to go!📅 We are open all weekend - Saturday, Sund...
17/10/2026

📍Don't forget to include us in your Labour weekend plans! Just ONE week to go!

📅 We are open all weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday 10am to 3pm!

15/10/2026

👀 Look what's inside our suitcase?

Our kiwi bach is now open and waiting for you to step back in time just a little but to the 60s or 70s.

📅 Open now - Monday to Saturday
🕑 10am to 3pm

👀Look out 'Stranger Things' - one of your creepy characters has escaped!!🚨Well that's what it reminds us of! It's okay d...
14/10/2026

👀Look out 'Stranger Things' - one of your creepy characters has escaped!!

🚨Well that's what it reminds us of! It's okay don't panic it is still contained and that's where we want it to stay.

⭐ This guy is the Northern Pacific Seastar - Asterias amurensis.

🌊They live in low intertidal areas to 25m or occasionally 200m including estuaries, harbours and coasts
🪨They also can be found in rocky reef, mud, sand or pebble areas.
🛟They can appear at wharves, pontoons, buoys or other aquaculture structures.

Their key features are:
💪 They have five arms with pointed, often upturned tips and covered in numerous small, irregularly-arranged chisel-like spines
🟡🟠🟣 Yellow to orange, often purple markings on top; yellow underneath
📏 Measures usually up to 24cm across but can reach 50cm
🏘️ Can reach high density populations

🚨These seastars are currently NOT in Aotearoa New Zealand and we don't want or need them here. If you suspect you have seen one please call 0800 80 99 66 to report it.

⚠️Want to know more about some of the other species we are on alert for then come and visit our exhibition 'The Living Gulf - From Threats to Recovery' https://www.facebook.com/share/1H6ed6WdtE/

Exhibition in partnership with Department of Conservation - Hauraki-Coromandel and Waikato Regional Council

📍Don't forget to include us in your Labour weekend plans! Just two weeks to go!📅 We are open all weekend - Saturday, Sun...
10/10/2026

📍Don't forget to include us in your Labour weekend plans! Just two weeks to go!

📅 We are open all weekend - Saturday, Sunday & Monday 10am to 3pm!

Address

11A The Esplanade
Whitianga
3510

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

078660730

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