The Woolshed Museum

The Wool Shed in Masterton

The Wool Shed is New Zealand's museum of sheep and shearing. This video shows its activities and exhibits.

Moving the Glendonald wool shed to Masterton, 2003

The old Glendonald wool shed was trucked to Masterton in 2003, to join another historic wool shed (the Wilton shed) in a new museum complex to be called The Wool Shed.

Setting up The Wool Shed, Masterton, 2005

Images of setting up The Wool Shed, New Zealand's museum of sheep and shearing, one day before its opening in April 2005.

Spinners and weavers at The Wool Shed, Masterton, 2016

Images of spinners, weavers and knitters in action at The Wool Shed museum, Masterton, NZ

featherston military camp2 360p

Aratoi presented the Featherton Military Training Camp Exhibition in 2016. This video documents the exhibition.

Spinners & knitters at The Wool Shed, Masterton, 2016

Short movie of members of the Wairarapa Spinners & Weavers Guild spinning wool at The Wool Shed in Masterton, NZ.

NZ Big Rimu Tree

A visit to one of New Zealand Biggest Rimu Trees

Rimu is a slow-growing conifer tree, eventually attaining a height of up to 50m although most surviving large trees are 20 to 35m tall. The trunk is usually about 1m but can be as much as 2m in diameter. The bark scales off in large flakes. It typically appears as an emergent from a mixed broadleaf temperate rainforest, although there are almost pure stands (especially the west coast of the South Island). The branchlets have a distinctive weeping form, those on young trees being particularly graceful in appearance. The leaves are small and awl-shaped and the mature leaves are fine and sharp. The cones are set at irregular intervals and males and females are on separate trees.
The large trees can be anything up from 700 to 800 or even 1,000 years old. The European name for rimu, especially in the South Island, is red pine. Timber from rimu has been the main native timber in use since about 1910 when it began to displace kauri. Due to recent government policies of forbidding the felling of rimu in public forests and only allowing limited logging on private land the quantities available will fall rapidly in the next one or two decades as resources become exhausted. The timber of the rimu is comparatively hard and dense and was used in flooring, weatherboards and some furniture.
The small cones (5mm) which form at the end of branchlets of female trees take about 18 months to ripen, and the seeds are produced only every 5 to 6 years.
The red fruit cup that carries the seed is edible. The bitter gum was applied to wounds to stop bleeding and the leaves were used to heal wounds. The bruised inner bark was applied to burns.

Sheep Shearing in New Zealand!

Come and see for yourself!

Quick look at the sheep shearing competition in Tauranga, New Zealand

Madura Plains Woolshed Yards

The 7,000 strong mob of sheep arrived at the woolshed yards for Madura Plains February shearing. The only way to view this is from the air to grasp the size of this operation

Mokopeka Station - A Slice of Hawke’s Bay History

Potential and opportunity abound on this well located property. Situated approximately 20 kilometres from Havelock North it offers a large portion of easy to medium contour. Carrying capacity is approximately 2800 stock units with an average rainfall of approximately 1200mm.  

A feature of the property is an abundant water supply from the adjacent Maraetotara River which supplies gravity fed troughs in most paddocks. A bore located on the flats has the potential to irrigate 110 ha, but would require a Resource Consent.

A well maintained metalled driveway runs through the property allowing easy access to all parts of the farm. 

Four consented Farm Park sites offer an ability to subdivide or land bank for the future.

Located on the farm are two building of historic significance. The Mokopeka Woolshed is a Historic Places Trust Category 2 building with the original part constructed in 1877. The Mokopeka Station Hydro-Electric Power Scheme has a Historic Places Trust Category 1 status.  Commissioned in 1892, it incorporates a small dam, a head race and power station and is believed to be one of the oldest continually operating hydroelectric plants in the world.

Farm improvements include various sheds and barns, a single men’s quarters, covered cattle yards, sheep yards adjacent to the woolshed and the property has predominantly conventional post and wire fencing and some electric fencing.

A rare opportunity to secure such a parcel of Hawke’s Bay’s farming history. With limited time, enquire today to avoid disappointment.

Call Hadley Brown (027 442 3539) or Nic Goodman (021 980 545) to discuss or arrange a viewing.

colliers.co.nz/57696

Reel Life in Rural New Zealand tour, March 2013

Scenes from the Reel Life in Rural New Zealand tour, which won the Most Innovative Public Programme category in Museums Aotearoa's 2014 New Zealand Museum Awards. In March 2013 the New Zealand Film Archive partnered with The New Zealand Historic Places Trust to show a programme of films made in the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay regions in five NZHPT registered heritage woolsheds from Maraekakaho to Tinui. The films featured farming history, shearing gangs, kiwi inventions dating back to 1913, and some of the unique rituals of country life.

All rights reserved The Film Archive.

snowden woolshed

Sheep Shearing Demonstration Ottaw

Sheep shearing demonstration at the Canadian Agricultural Museum

South African Shearing Success

The 52nd Golden Shears was held in Masterton over the weekend, alongside the World Championships. And while a weather bomb ensured difficult conditions for fans, organisers and shearers alike, thousands still turned out for what was an electric finals day. Benedict Collins has the first of a series of reports on the championships...

60 Bullians Road, Taumarunui

Oio Farms

Oio Farms is located just south of Owhango at the foothills of Majestic Mt Ruapehu, near to the world heritage Tongariro National Park, around 30km south of Taumarunui, a rural service town with its secondary school and many primary and preschool options.

This impressive unit enjoys good quality volcanic loams, and comprises approximately 535 hectares of flat to easy rolling land runing along the scenic Whakapapa river boundary with a north to north west aspect. A further 115 hectares of easy to moderately sloping land are on the eastern side of the highway. West of the highway there is 520 hectares with 80 hectares of easy rolling flats, with the property rising from 550 to 650 meters above sea level. Water is supplied by a combination of town water system and a natural bore.

Historically, Oio winters approximately: 6000 mixed-age Romney ewes, some 1600 hogget replacements, 430 mixed-age breeding cows, around 110 heifers to the bull, along with 500 other beef cattle, heifers and steers.

Day to day opoerations are assisted by a range of quality improvements, with a mix of sound conventional and some five wire electric fences, 4 hay barns, two large implement sheds, 3 sets of cattle yards, and a 6 stand woolshed with 1600-night pen. Meanwhile, a central lane way through the farm allows heavy truck and trailer access to the central airstrip and a covered 160 tonne fertiliser bin with a rolling top, and then goes further on to the farms own Quarry. This includes a resurfaced bridge over the Piopiotea stream. A number of underpasses also allow easy stock movment.

The farm’s main dwelling is a 460m2, 5-bedroom, brick home set in beautifully kept, established gardens and enjoys magnificent views of the farm and Mt Ruapehu. There’s also a further three-bedroom house and a another 4 bedroom home on the farm.

Oio Farm represents an incredible opportunity to purchase a quality sheep and beef farming operation with a consistant crop yield and an impressive array of improvements. Call Katie today for your full information pack and to arrange your viewing.

Katie Walker at Property Brokers Taumarunui, Call Katie anytime on 027 757 7477.