Last updated November 2026
For seven decades the building on Liverpool Street that now holds the Tuakau and District Museum was the town’s post office. The former post office is home to a community collection that traces the town and district back to their beginnings.
Kōtuia lists colonial and Māori exhibits, a military section, natural history items and a large collection of tools and farm implements. A reading and records room supports family history research. The museum opens on Thursday mornings and Sunday afternoons, and entry is by donation.
Practical Information
- Address
- 10 Liverpool Street, Tuakau
- Opening hours
- Thursday 9:30am to midday and Sunday 1pm to 3:30pm; other times by arrangement
- Entry
- Donation
- Phone
- 09 236 8785
- Run by
- Tuakau and District Museum Society
- Status
- Check the museum’s Kōtuia listing before you go.
About Tuakau and District Museum
The museum building opened as the Tuakau post office in 1912 and served the town until the post office closed in 1983.
The Tuakau and District Museum Society runs the museum, and Stuart Graham is its patron. Franklin Times coverage of the museum describes a collection of items going back to the founding of the town.
The museum keeps regular hours on two days a week, and visits at other times can be arranged through the society’s contacts listed on Kōtuia.
The Collection
Kōtuia, the national directory of museums and galleries, describes colonial and Māori exhibits, a military section, natural history items and an extensive collection of tools and agricultural implements. It lists the collection’s strengths as military history, natural history and science, social history, taonga Māori and technology.
A reading and records room is set aside for family research, and the museum has a reference library and archives.
Around Tuakau
Tuakau’s past reaches back well before the post office. South of the town, at the end of Alexandra Redoubt Road, the grassed earthworks of Alexandra Redoubt survive above the Waikato River.
Troops of the 65th Regiment built the redoubt in July 1863 at the start of the invasion of Waikato, and it is now a historic reserve with a New Zealand Wars memorial obelisk and a historic cemetery.
Where to Learn More
Kōtuia: Tuakau & District Museum Society Inc: opening hours, contact details and the collection.
NZHistory: Alexandra Redoubt NZ Wars memorial: the history of the redoubt south of Tuakau.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the museum open?
Thursday from 9:30am to midday and Sunday from 1pm to 3:30pm. Other times can be arranged.
Is there an entry charge?
Entry is by donation.
Where is the museum?
At 10 Liverpool Street, Tuakau, in the former post office.
When was the building a post office?
From 1912 until 1983.
What is in the collection?
Colonial and Māori exhibits, a military section, natural history items and a large collection of tools and farm implements.
Can I research my family history there?
Yes. The museum has a reading and records room for family research.
Who runs the museum?
The Tuakau and District Museum Society.
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