Architectural gold beneath stucco of Thames landmark

The real face of the Thames Mineralogical Museum from yesteryear. Property lead Elton Fraser is keen to recreate the image with some students when school starts in 2023.

Planning for a much-needed refresh of Thames’ legendary Mineralogical Museum has revealed layers of beauty that have been completely obscured for about 70 years.

A recent building report into the state of the plaster ceiling has revealed spectacular solid kauri beams supporting an original kauri ceiling that was covered by a plaster ceiling sometime in the 1950s.

“The museum is known for its rather severe concrete stucco exterior, and on the inside, a faded, colourful 1950s interior colour scheme,” says Thames School of Mines property lead Elton Fraser.

“Both are only a façade, however. People are surprised to learn that underneath the 1950s surface, [there] is a beautiful kauri building.”

The Thames School of Mines and neighbouring Mineralogical Museum are two of the leading heritage gems in a region that celebrates its rich history of gold mining. Both are cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

“Next year, we continue our journey of rediscovering and reinterpreting the Mineralogical Museum with a refresh of the museum’s interior, including revisiting collection items, themes and narratives,” he says.

“The Thames School of Mines and Mineralogical Museum are popular visitor destinations – particularly post-Covid. In 2023, we’re excited to be taking our visitor experience to the next level.”