Across the Ocean Waves Ongoing Exhibition What was it like crossing the oceans to come here in a sailing ship? The core of this new display is an accurate recreation of the steerage quarters of an immigrant ship bound for Otago in the days of sail. Short video clips help bring the era to life. Death and disaster, fun and romance, the misery of seasickness and the excitement of arrival are all showcased. This is an interactive exhibit that will seize the imagination and transport you back to the epic voyages made by Otago’s nineteenth century ancestors. “Climb aboard” and see for yourself what their great migration was all about. An Otago Settlers Museum exhibition. Kai Tahu Ongoing Exhibition Ko Aoraki Te Mauka Ko Waitaki Te Awa Ko Te Waipounamu Te Whenua Ko Kai Tahu Whanui Te Iwi Aoraki is the mountain Waitaki is the river Te Waipounamu is the place Kai Tahu Whanui is the tribe This unique exhibition focuses on the Maori people of Otago and their experiences through 150 years of European settlement. It presents key events in the recent past from a local Maori perspective. Windows on a Chinese Past Ongoing Exhibition The story of Otago's Chinese community from the first Chinese arrivals in Dunedin in 1865 right up to the present, including life on the Otago Goldfields, the move into towns and cities and the eventual assimilation of a generation of Chinese refugee children into a New Zealand way of life. Windows on a Chinese Past is illustrated with a rich array of artefacts and with short biographies of Chinese indentities, such as Choie Sew Hoy, the merchant who pioneered gold dredging in Otago in the late 19th century. Once a despised group on the margins of society, the Chinese community today has risen to be one of New Zealand's most highly regarded ethnic minorities. This is their remarkable story. Hall of History Ongoing Exhibition For thousands of families in New Zealand, Otago is the place where it all began – the place where they started their journey to becoming New Zealanders. In a freshly renovated portion of our Hall of History you can once again chart that part of the journey from the early period of European settlement in Otago to the era where Dunedin reigned as the number one city in New Zealand. Imagine yourself alongside Frederick Tuckett searching for a new immigrant homeland; voyaging with Reverend Thomas Burns aboard the Philip Laing; or hoping to strike it rich as you join the throng of diggers heading for Gabriel’s Gully. Smith Gallery Ongoing Exhibition The 'Otago Early Settlers Museum' opened in 1908 with just one room for displays. Now known as the Smith Gallery, it was a memorial to Otago's Scottish pioneers. Stern Presbyterian faces glowered down from rows of photographic portraits amidst artefacts of daily life from Otago's early days. Today, the Smith Gallery emphasises the importance of the Early Settlers in the story of Otago. The portraits on the walls have been rearranged in order of arrival and a variety of furniture, intricate scale models and other artefacts, all drawn from the pre gold rush era, add character to this historic gallery. Josephine Ongoing Exhibition New Zealand's oldest surviving locomotive The northern end of the Otago Settlers Museum is home to Otago's most celebrated steam train, Josephine. Josephine was designed in England by Robert Fairlie and built by the Vulcan Foundry in Lancashire, arrived by ship in August 1872 and was assembled at Port Chalmers. A load of beer was hauled from Burkes Brewery in September and passengers were carried for the first time in October 1872. The Fairlie double-ended engine was specially designed for narrow gauge railways with many twists and turns and was thus ideal for the line between Dunedin and Port Chalmers which hugs the rugged shoreline with its many bends. Josephine was sold out of government service in 1917, displayed at the New Zealand South Seas Exhibition at Dunedin in 1926 and is now a much loved exhibit at the Museum, resting in its own annexe within sight of Dunedin's Railway Station. 31 Queens Gardens, Dunedin, New Zealand. Ph: + 64 3 4775052, Email: osmmail@dcc.govt.nz Open 10am-5pm Daily, closed Christmas Day & Good Friday.