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Museum · Whitianga, Waikato
Mercury Bay Museum
A small museum beside Whitianga wharf covering the history of Mercury Bay: Polynesian navigation, Cook’s 1769 visit, shipwrecks, kauri logging and the lives of early settlers.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About Mercury Bay Museum
The Mercury Bay Museum is housed in a building next to Whitianga’s wharf, facing the mouth of the harbour. It is a regional museum run by a local association, presenting the bay’s history in small, well-organized rooms.
The exhibition starts with the arrival of Polynesians, including the Māori tradition about the navigator Kupe, who is said to have passed through the area, and continues with James Cook’s visit in 1769 and the observation of the transit of Mercury that gave the bay its name.
Other rooms cover shipwrecks along the coast, such as the HMS Buffalo in 1840, the logging of kauri and kauri gum, fishing and the lives of the families who settled the peninsula. There are objects recovered from the sea, old photographs and period tools.
There is an admission fee; check the current rate. The museum is a good option on rainy days or before a boat trip around the bay.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
From 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Best time
On rainy days or during the sunniest hours between morning and afternoon. Outside summer the museum has shorter opening hours; check before you go.
How to get there
On foot from Whitianga town centre, next to the wharf and the passenger boat departure for Ferry Landing.
Tip
Visit it before going to Shakespeare Cliff: the room about Cook’s visit helps to understand the bay’s history as seen from the lookout.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Mercury Bay Museum
What to see at the Mercury Bay Museum?
The bay’s history: the Māori tradition, Cook’s visit in 1769, shipwrecks and kauri logging.
How long does a visit to the Mercury Bay Museum take?
About 45 minutes to an hour.
Where is the Mercury Bay Museum located?
Next to Whitianga’s wharf, beside the passenger boat departure for Ferry Landing.