The Bluff Maritime Museum is located in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

's southernmost port of

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

. The museum is situated on Foreshore Road and contains an extensive collection of Bluff's maritime heritage. The museum was founded in November 1992, and celebrated its 20th anniversary in early 2012 and early 2013. Being near the ancient Māori settlement of

Omaui Omaui is a small coastal village in Southland region, New Zealand. It is located approximately 20 km southwest of Invercargill near a small estuary opposite Sandy Point between Invercargill and Bluff. The New Zealand Ministry for Cultur ...

and as the oldest European settled community in New Zealand, Bluff's history illustrates the blending of two cultures and the shared community spirit, with the sea remaining as the central focus for many locals. The museum contains a wide variety of maritime displays, artefacts, miniature models, boats, photographs and a working triple expansion engine. The biggest attraction is the full-sized oystering boat, ''the Monica,'' kindly donated by the Jones family. Visitors can climb aboard and explore the entire ship. The museum also exhibits artwork showing scenes of Bluffs early days, when it was officially known as Campbelltown.

References

* Hall-Jones, J. 1976. ''Bluff Harbour''. Southland Harbour Board

External links

Bluff Maritime Museum from Bluff promotions

Museum website archive

Bluff History Group

Listing from Museums Aotearoa
Museums in Southland, New Zealand Maritime museums in New Zealand Bluff, New Zealand Organisations based in Invercargill {{NewZealand-museum-stub