Bookings for school and other groups outside these hours by arrangement.

The Museum presents the history of the gold mining era in the Ohinemuri Goldfields and the Waihi Mines.

On 25 Jan 1962 Mrs Nel Climie, Mrs Rosemary Morgan, Mr Ted Grant, Mr Reg Bell met with and at the home of Mr & Mrs Eric Lee-Johnson, Riverbank Terrace, to discuss the possibility of establishing a WAIHI MUSEUM and ARTS CENTRE. using the old Technical School building, which is to be purchased by the Waihi Borough Council. As a result of this meeting tentative aims and objects of the proposed Museum and Arts Centre were outlines as follows:

The Museum:
-to be devoted to the history of Waihi and District, gold mining in Waihi and the Coromandel Peninsula.
-to house the existing collection of geological specimens, photographs, and gold mining models at present displayed (inadequately) in the Borough Council Chambers.
to display as a central feature the unique and valuable glass model, at present in the Library, of the Martha and Grand Junction mining excavations.
-to provide space to expand the existing collection of local historical photographs and records of the mining and pre-mining days of Waihi, Waitekauri, Karangahake, etc, and to show this together with maps, books, and other records and relics of gold recovery methods developed in other districts of New Zealand.
-to provide safe housing for the preservation of historically valuable family records, photographs, furnishings, and mining-day relics, citizens may in future wish to leave in trust to the town or present to the Museum.
-to show geological formations of the Waihi District.
-to display loan exhibitions of local interest from main centre museums, Hocken Library, Turnbull Library etc.

The aim would be to establish and run a Museum that would be a place of reference, and sufficiently alive and interesting enough, to bring visitors to Waihi.

The Gallery and Arts Club-Rooms:
-to provide a central meeting place and headquarters for cultural activities in Waihi - Art Club, Pottery Club, C.A.S. Committee, Camera Club etc.
-to provide a suitably furnished and equipped gallery room for lectures, rehearsals (musical and theatrical), smaller recitals, travelling loan and local exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, pottery, etc.
-to provide headquarters and galleries for a New Zealand Arts Centre - a showroom and selling centre for Dominion artists and craftsmen of standing, who would be invited to join a guild & supply works, where possible, of their own choice (irrespective of school).

The aim of the Centre would be to encourage the development of indigenous art and to establish a gallery with the reputation for showing the widest range of New Zealand work of note, that would bring visitors and buyers to Waihi from Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland, and from other parts of New Zealand and abroad.

The above project could look for some assistance (financial) from the Arts Council and Association of New Zealand Arts Societies, and possibly Internal Affairs through Cultural & Recreational Fund. Members of the Guild would pay an annual subscription & there would be a commission (small) on sales. Letting of club-room space, & lecture gallery would bring in a small amount.

It was decided to approach other possibly interested people & hold a further meeting on 8 February 1962.