Wellington Museum - Wellington, New Zealand - Maritime Museums on Waymarking.com

"Wellington Museum is housed in the Bond Store, an 1892 heritage building designed by leading architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. Set over four floors, the Museum shares some of the fascinating stories of the Wellington region."

--Source (visit link)

"The Museum is housed in The Bond Store, an 1892 premium heritage building designed by leading architect Frederick de Jersey Clere.

Despite its grand exterior, it was primarily a bonded cargo warehouse; a holding warehouse for goods that required the payment of customs duty before they could be released to the importer. The head office of the Wellington Harbour Board, a vital centre of power for early Wellington, was located in opulent offices upstairs.

In the 1960’s new methods of cargo handling were introduced, with containerisation and roll-on/roll-off ferries changing the face of the shipping sector and Wellington’s wharf. By the mid 1970’s, The Bond Store was no longer at the centre of activity on the wharf and had become a rabbit warren of mostly empty offices. Then the Harbour Board had a timely suggestion: to convert it into a small museum to house its collection of artifacts detailing the story of Wellington harbour and maritime history.

The Wellington Harbour Board Maritime Museum was opened in 1972, and when the Harbour Board wound-up in 1989, most of the building became gallery space. The Maritime Museum operated for over 20 years and built a strong following amongst maritime enthusiasts and supporters. The most dedicated of these maritime friends were involved in the development of The Bond Store for its next stage of life – as the Museum of Wellington City & Sea."

--Source (visit link)

Museum Address: 2 Queens Wharf Wellington, Museum Website: [Web Link] Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Hours of Operation: 10.00am to 5.00pm every day, except Christmas Day.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   02/04/2016 waiiti20 visited it