Located on the Coromandel Peninsula, the Thames Museum offers intriguing insight into the history of the town and its surroundings. Displays cover everything from the arrival of Polynesian explorers in the mid-14^th century through to the mid-20^th century.

A stroll through the galleries begins with an account of early settlement. This leads into a display of tools and other items from the pioneer period, following the discovery of gold in Thames in 1867.  It features artifacts from the days of the town’s first newspapers in the late 1860s and includes the projector from the first picture theatre.

There is also a tribute to the women who lived in the town in the Victorian era. It is designed to prompt reflection on just how much our lives have changed in the last 120 years. And the display is accompanied by a fascinating slide show.

The Ted Egan Gallery glows with the golden hues of polished recycled kauri. It contains local craftsman Ted Egan’s models of buildings that have disappeared from the townscape.