Ike visits the Kapiti Coast Museum, New Zealand Aotearoa

Ike’s on a new adventure with Geography Cat’s good friend Di. With her, Ike paid a visit to the local Kapiti Coast Museum. The building, which opened as a post office and post master’s residence in 1908, is now a Category 2 New Zealand Historic Places Trust Building and funded by the Kapiti Coast Council.

Ike was particularly keen on seeing some of the maps in the mapping drawers. He came across one of the Kapiti Coastal area. As Ike loves to travel, he was interested in the rail history and old travel chests.

So, who else lived here in ancient, pre-colonial times? Large flightless birds such as Moa and Kakepo inhabited the island. Kapiti was also inhabited by Māori tribes who saw the strategic benefits of the area. Pre-1830s to the 1880s, the Pa (Village) at Whareroa as active. As Maori moved away, the land became occupied by the European farmers. Later, the island was shared with European whalers.

The local economy was marine based with Jillett’s whaling station on Kapiti Island established in 1884. Ike was scared to investigate the “trypot” which was used for boiling down blubber during the 1840s. The pots were large enough to fit whale bones!

Whilst there, Ike went in search of historical snippets of everyday life from the pioneering era. Displays included radio, telephone and telegraph communications equipment that were in use from 1897 to 1917. Other displays showed land use activities that took place such as farming, milling and weaving.