Oratia Folk Museum
The museum holds collections that represent the domestic and working life of the early settlers to the Oratia area. The building which houses the museum was constructed c1870 and is a simple gabled pioneer cottage which is dressed to reflect its early history.
Collection Type
Historic Site, History, Taonga Maori, Technology
Historic Site, History, Taonga Maori, Technology
Contact Details
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527 West Coast Road- Oratia Waitakere City |
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For more information contact Sharon Walker on 09 813 3884, or David Harre on 09 818 7816 |
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ian.molyneux@clear.net.nz |
Visitor Information
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527 West Coast Road- Oratia Waitakere City, New Zealand |
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The museum opens on the 2nd Sunday of every month between 10am and 1pm. It can also be opened by arrangement at other times. |
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Donation/ Koha |
Greetings Oratia Museum. Do you hold any examples of H. E. SHARP’s Waikomiti Nurseries Catalogues? I have one where he listed 830 named varieties of apples held. Later he was claiming 1,000. Hope to visit Wayne Mackenzie [Laing] at Huia Museum on Feb 15th so could visit on way out. See Western Leader re Nihotapu Falls of 1890’s being published this week ?.
Alan SHARP,
Waikato.
Greeting Alan Sharp. It’s Penny from the Oratia R&R. I actually just have a photocopy of the Original Parrs Catalogue. Dave Harre is the man you need for the Oratia Folk Museum. I have forwarded your post to him on email. And will ask him to get in touch. Thanks
Greetings Penny.
Thanks.
#1. Waitomiti Nurseries above should read Waikomiti Nurseries.
#2. Just started getting emails [replies] so the Western Leader did publish something today, but I’m assuming no photos. Will be happy to swap research with Dave, when he contacts me.
Alan SHARP.
Hi Alan, Have you had a look at the Heritage Document the Council did for us. I see the Sharp family history is in their. I’m assuming that’s your family? And they used to grow apples and daffodils? That’s the farm behind the hall -It still blooms every spring and it’s gorgeous. I’m on Parker road, and planning to plant some daffodil bulbs under my Apple Trees this year. We are planning (haven’t started yet) to have an Apple Pickers Ball this year. We’ll be sure to send you an invite. But would be great to show a copy of your catalogue at the event. Penny
Hi again Penny.
From the reading I did in the weekend, SHARP holdings at one time were from the Cemetery [neighbouring the PARR holdings] to KELLY’S bush [assume Kelly Road] and between West Coast Road and Forest Hill Road. But then read further, and you see that the school was bought on land acquired from the SHARPS. So there was land held on both sides of the West Coast Road.
Books I consulted all said something a little different. Likewise with the larger [nearly 600 acres of the original PARR holdings, which Humphrey’s sister Isabella married into. One description named Waari Stream [yet to find named on a map] to Canty’s Creek etc, another named the Oritia Streem as the West / Northern boundary.
That had a parallel with Wm SHARP at Pukekohe East [‘The original Pukekohe’ until the railway went via the flats] supplied land for a school, and again SHARP’S were associated with the first postal agency at Oritia, Pukekohe East and Pukeroro near Cambridge, in the Waikato, through Humphrey’s Sisters Mrs Wm [Helen nee SHARP] SHARP and Mrs Wm [Agnes] RUSSELL. Mum took out the agency but it was work for their school leaving [and underage to hold the agency] daughter/s.
When I get contact with David and his Museum crew of volunteers, I will see what holdings they have with early survey plans. I now see that February weekend is also the Franklan open day for History and Genealogy research, so I will be a busy boy.
The survey lines on GOOGLE MAPS only give an indication, when parcels of land have been intensely subdivided in recent years, the original can be hard to discern.
Thanks for your interest, and the four Western Leader readers who have replied re Nihotapu falls; Reservoir Construction; and Exhibition drive centenary.
PS- Flick me an email contact, and I’ll give you a neat photo or to, of the SHARP clan picking daffodils for market. A back breaking work that Trevor SHARP said NO THANKS to, and so joined the Auto trade. He won’t thank me, but it includes a cute news paper photo of a pre-schooler trouping down the rows of daffodils with his own basket of picked daffodils.
Alan SHARP.
Greetings All.
Update. My visit West on February 15th was a great success. I learnt that the Oratia Museum volunteers try to support David, by opening, the Museum each Sunday afternoon. So special thanks to David HARRE, and family for meeting me in the morning, and especially opening the Museum. Extremely interesting seeing inside, especially the very short stairwell, with it’s fantail steps.
An actual example, of what my families oral history states the servant’s stairwell at WOODLANDS ESTATE [built early 1880’s] in the Waikato, was like. Some have doubted that there was sufficient space to have one in the available space, which was remodelled in the depression.
David also invited me to see Albion Vale, his private residence, and that too was very interesting, it being my [Maternal] Gt Gt Aunt’s home, and built at the same time as WOODLANDS. I had pleasure in presenting the Museum a large clear file containing information about the early SHARP’S of Auckland, one branch of which settled in Oritia. Others went south to Pukekohe East, and the Waikato.
Later in the afternoon, I was also well received by volunteers, Wayne MACKENZIE and Carl HARDING, at the Huia Settlers Museum. Another interesting visit, very much worth the trip. A fruitful weekend out west researching.
I followed my visit up with several mornings at the West Auckland Research Centre, level 2 Waitakere Library, looking through the Oratia Museum Archive, and the following Saturday, a visit at River Mill Cottage Henderson, with Vivien BURGESS and Fiona DRUMMOND, of the West Auckland Historical Society. Thanks ladies for all your help.
To Penny SPARKS and the Oratia R&R, all the best for your Harvest Festival celebrations. In days gone by every church celebrated an autumn harvest festival, but these days of the supermarkets there is a big disconnect between the consumer and the producer, so the tradition is rapidly dying.
Alan SHARP.
Thanks Alan for your visit and sharing your families history in Oratia. And for the plum and daffodil information pages. I am ordering some daffodils today to underplant my apple and plum trees for a bit of heritage inspired planting. Kind Regards Penny
hi , back in 2010 I was working on a tram you were restoring and just want to know what happened to this project and the tram …many thanks rob carter , uk
Hello Robert.
I’ll let David reply, but from memory when I shared part of a day with him, he mentioned that the Tram went back whence it came. Lower North Island, but if I name the place I’ll get it wrong. Staying at Glendene at the moment doing further research of West Auckland, and don’t have my last autumn notes to hand.
Alan SHARP.
so it was finished ? do you have any photos ? would like to know if poss , many thanks rob
Yes Rob it was finished, if it was the only tram he repaired.
Last autumn when I went to Oratia to do research, I met David and saw photos. Also believe I saw a news clipping, possibly the Western Leader, in the Oratia Museum archives, that have been assigned to the Waitakere / Henderson Public Library for safe keeping.
The Oratia Museum building has had a major revamp replacing faulty and old decayed materials etc, and a sprinkler system installed. The committee decided that their storage facility was far from archival standards, so contacted the public library.
The tram was not my research focus, so I don’t think I kept any photo copies of what I read..
Holiday over and about to leave my Glendene base for my home in the Waikato. Just waiting for darkness.
If no locals respond I may be able to sus out more details for you in the weekend. Also you could try some Google searches to see if they turn up the newspaper coverage. Use David’s name and the details of the tram that you are aware of. I’m too busy now. Levin is in the back of my mind but I could well be wrong. It was some where I was unaware that they ever had a tram service.
– Alan.
I did get it wrong. See this link if I can get it to work.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=10937579
A further advance search limited to NZ content should get you more material, and that photo you are looking for. Also try Wanganui tourist promotion web material.
Alan.
Opp’s this might be more in your time frame.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11089329