KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE
A white picket fence is all that separates a suburban side road from the grounds of Rotorua Settlers and Steam Museum.
Beyond the palings, in a garden strewn with ancient farming equipment, windmills, and time-worn timber wagons, a whitewashed Arts and Crafts homestead sits like an anomaly among an enclave of distinctive frontier buildings. Every so often, a ride-on diesel train with its cargo of kids and parents pops out of a tunnel to complete a loop of the turn-of-the-century Whakarewarewa Post Office.
On ‘live steam’ days, a beautifully restored 1892 McLaren traction engine may also be seen making slow laps along a gravel driveway between the corrugated iron exhibition rooms. For history buffs and curious sheddies alike, it is a compelling — if slightly confusing — tableau. Rest assured, a visit here will not disappoint.
From the entry door forwards there are
