New Faraday Centre manager has big plans for Hawke's Bay's 'best-kept secret'

Sharyn Phillips, the new manager at Hawke's Bay's best-kept secret, the Faraday Centre. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

New Faraday Centre manager Sharyn Phillips hopes the technology museum in Napier will be a big hit when the school holidays begin at the end of next Friday, September 27.

She said extended opening hours would unveil "Hawke's Bay's best-kept secret", and pledged
to expand on the dreams of founder, career engineer and former Mayor of Napier, David Prebensen, who died on July 26.

The new hours, 9am-3pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, would be supported by an enthusiastic team of volunteers - the oldest being 84 years old. She was in the process of recruiting more volunteers and said the role would suit those who enjoyed interacting with the public and had a passion for interactive museums.

She was a regular visitor to the Otago Settlers Museum, in Dunedin, where grew up, and was now looking forward to sharing the Faraday Centre. Its main appeal was "hands-on" accessibility, where adults and children were able to touch and operate exhibits and machinery - some which were more than a century old.

Old 50-cent pieces from the counter can be used to start the polyphon music box, grinding the chimes from a disk more than 60cm across and looking more like a kauri saw from deep in the forest, she said.

Other exhibit highlights include a working pre-digital, dial phone system and a huge Fullagar engine that was used to supplement power after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.

"It has always been classed as a technology museum, but it is very much an interactive museum. It is a museum of a difference, a place you can be hands-on, take photos, and there's so much to see and do."

Different zones include an arcade, grocery store, hairdressing section, vehicle and machinery section, and a science section.