DELVE INTO THE PAST AT THE WAIPU MUSEUM

Once called the House of Memories, the UNESCO-recognized Waipu Museum is the historical hub of Bream Bay. It was established in 1953 after a call-out at a local reunion saw an influx of artefacts, photos and records. Manager Fiona Mohr studied Gaelic at university and found her dream job here in Waipu, surrounded by the genealogy of 50,000 people, several thousand photos, shipping artefacts, a talking Scottish apparition and a 156-year-old doll. The museum records the story of the original Scottish settlers of Waipu, nearly 1000 hardy souls. “Academics believe these settlers were the largest singular group of Scottish refugees,” says Fiona. “It’s one of the world’s great migration stories.”

The settlers were forced from Scotland during the Highland Clearances which saw the eviction of inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands and the suppression of Gaelic culture (including the banning of bagpipes and clan tartan). The emigrants first went to Nova Scotia, then emigrated again to Australia before their final journey to New Zealand. “Morally righteous” preacher Norman McLeod, after whom the group known as Normanites was named, led his people to Waipu where they settled permanently. They cleared bush into farmland, built a village and spoke Gaelic. Some of their buildings remain, including the church, and can be seen by following the Heritage Trail throughout Bream Bay. 36 The Centre, Waipu, (09) 432 0746, waipumuseum.com