Believe it or not, the Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum was started by a group of train enthusiasts in the 1970s including a man called Wilson Campbell, a real visionary in the area.
The local council bequeathed a block of land in the industrial area of Te Anau, (approximately 1 acre) to the group under three conditions.
A Museum Society must be set up
They had to stay financially sound
If the club disbanded, the land would go back to the council
Their first project was restoring a Rogers K92 locomotive, embedded in a muddy bank on the side of a river, which had been retrieved in 1985 by the Fiordland Vintage Machinery Club, led by the late Herbie Hall, Ted Roberts, and Bill Fahey.
In 1997, with the coffers running low, they decided K92 should find a new home and it was sold.
Bill Christie came up with the idea of selling off half the block of land and with permission, this went ahead.
The property was cleaned up, rubbish removed, a shed was built, and membership grew.
The museum took on a new direction and it has not looked back.
It now has a membership of about 80 enthusiasts, 30 who usually turn up for special events, and up to 15 who come every day, enjoy some comradeship, and good home baking and then set forth with their tasks of the day.
They are either retired farmers, engineers, welders, carpenters etc, all volunteers, and the museum has now become a big part of their lives.
Some of the volunteers are keen woodworkers and have a well-organised and stocked woodworking shed, so they are able to make any wooden repairs needed.
A Massey Harris, one of the 60 working tractors on display at the museum.
Exhibits include over 60 working tractors, a selection of early road graders and motorbikes, a massive collection of early machinery, a fully operational Blacksmith Shop, displays of Te Anau’s early history including the first telephone exchange, Te Anau’s first school building and other memorabilia.
The volunteers have donated a lot of the machinery, including some from the local community.
I asked Bob Anderson, a volunteer at the museum what was the biggest drawcard to the museum, and he quickly replied, “It would have to be the tractor collection”.
While there is a wonderful selection of tractors to view, including a 1949 Series 2 Field Marshall, McCormick Deering bulldozer, and a rare V4 Diesel Yoeman Turner tractor, there are also stationary engines, restored vehicles and even a selection of rotary hoes and this barely touches the surface.
A lot of local heritage is in this museum, and it is great to see that it has been preserved.
There is a wonderful logging display with a selection of axes and chainsaws, saddles, a gig and harness, an antique engineering workshop, and a communication display complete with a manual switchboard, phones, gramophones, and radios.
Railways enthusiasts can get a touch of nostalgia from the railway display, and they even have a miniature shearing shed display, complete with wooden wool presses, wool bales, and a wool table.
Fencing display at Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum.
There is a dairy corner with butter churns, milking stools, separators and a processing tray.
There is also bee equipment, a wonderful fencing display showing vintage posts, wire, staples and electric fences and I am sure there must be a spinning jenny in amongst all that.
Still being worked on is a Robinson R22 helicopter previously used for live deer capture, which has been donated by a local operator.
They even have power generation included in their museum with items donated from the Monowai Power Station.
Everyday household items have not been forgotten and sitting in pride of place is a fully restored 1927 McLeary coal range.
There is still so much that I could talk about, but I would suggest on your next visit down south that you take a look at the Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum and make sure you have a few spare hours to wander around.
They are always open and if not, they leave a sign on the door about who to contact and most times they are able to accommodate.
A horse-drawn grader, although in this case, a tractor is being used. Photo / Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum Inc's Facebook Page
The cost is a mere $10 for adults with children free and it is situated at 132 Sandy Brown Road, Te Anau, halfway between Queenstown and Milford Sound.
You would be silly not to stop in and stretch your legs on your way through and take in this wonderful heritage, while at the same time learning about the pioneers of Fiordland.
Make sure you check out their Facebook page for great updates and videos.
