Hamilton’s Waikato Museum

We had promised Anita and Bob’s homeschooled grandkids that we would do a little sock puppet show with them on Sunday. We needed a few materials and to buy some food, so we headed into Hamilton.

But Hamilton, NZ, like Hamilton, Ontario, has a beautiful 50 hectares garden in the city centre and on the banks of the Waikato River. We didn’t feel like we had time to do it justice today, so instead we went to the excellent Waikato Museum.

Most of the display areas can be visited for free and the galleries housing Maori treasures were what we wanted to see. Sadly, we were not allowed to take photos in this area, but the whole display was outstanding. The piece de resistance was a magnificently carved 200 year old war canoe that had quite a history.

The museum is positioned on the banks of the Waikato River and it has lovely views from all the windows on that side.

After a late lunch in a Mexican restaurant that served great tacos, we hunted for a big brimmed hat but never found one that looked good or fit Chris. Oh well. Food and puppet making materials though were easy to find.Read more