Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum

03-573-8283

|explore local | explore past|

Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum

Our Museum

The Picton Heritage and Whaling Museum overlooks the Picton Foreshore and Queen Charlotte Sound and contains historical collections from Picton (Waitohi) and the Sounds dating back to the 1700s.

Our exhibit tells the story of the families who lived here and how Picton came to be. Our display includes significant local Maori history and artefacts, documentations of maritime activities in the Sounds and a comprehensive display of the history of whaling.

The museum is open most days between 10am and 3pm.

Picton Historical Society

Our museum is a community museum, governed by the Picton Historical Society. The Society is committed to provide high quality services to the Picton Community, the wider Marlborough region and to encourage an interest in the study of history.

To become a member of the Society please click below.

how can we help

Our Services

Visit us if you'd like to immerse yourself in the life of a whaler or to gain a deeper understanding of the history of Picton and the Sounds. If you are looking for very specific information, we can undertake research requests for you for a small fee. Often we uncover deep-rooted family histories of the area and significant events stored in our catalogue of manuscripts, oral histories and photographic collections. We have a variety of books written by New Zealand authors and welcome anyone to become a member of the Picton Historical Society.

RESEARCH REQUESTS

Are you interested in local family histories and photographs, events or manuscripts of the past? Contact us to make a research request.

Make a request

VISIT US

Come and see our collection and immerse yourself in Picton's past. We are open most days from 10 am - 3 pm and offer specials for group tours.

Our collection

BOOK SALES

We sell a range of books, many of which provide fascinating detail about Marlborough and the Sounds' local history.

View our books

MEMBERSHIP

We invite you to subscribe to the Picton Historical Society and help to preserve the heritage of Picton and the Sounds. Membership includes free entry to the museum and the use of our research library.

Become a member