Activities carried out by the Museum Volunteers over the past twelve months

Exhibition volunteers - Twelve exhibitions have taken place over the past year and the volunteers have assisted with the putting up and taking down of most of the exhibitions in the art gallery. As these roll over approximately four weeks or so it is a continuous mission. Most of the Exhibitions have an opening function and our Volunteers help prepare food, serve it, hand out drinks and then help clear up afterwards.

Heritage Walk Guides - This was a new venture embarked on last September whereby visitors to the museum are escorted on an hour-long walk around the immediate vicinity of the Museum taking in a number of points of historical interest. This takes place every Sunday of the year, weather permitting. Without the volunteers this could not have happened and it is a wonderful asset to the museum and to the community

Ora Garden gardeners - We have three dedicated volunteers who work for an hour each every Tuesday morning in the garden, weeding and tidying up this gold-medal winning entry that went to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004. Keeping this garden up to its immaculate standard of presentation is an on-going undertaking and presents the Museum with an enormous challenge to keep it looking its best.

Research and Display development/Cataloguing and filing assistance - At least six hours every week are given to the Museum in researching for new displays, keeping paperwork up to date, filing and cataloguing items - a never ending task. The work needed for researching for new displays is hard to measure and is truly a labour of love and devotion and concentration.

Additional help - processing mail outs, emergency relief at Reception, climbing ladders to replace blown light bulbs, additional help for special events; the Museum Volunteers are there to give a hand where needed.

The contribution made to the Museum by its band of loyal Volunteers is hard to measure. However, the Museum is a community facility, taken over by Council almost three years ago now, and as such is a vital link with the past. The connection our volunteers have within the community means that what they experience here is taken back into the community.

Local people love to bring visitors to see the Ora Garden as well as the Museum itself. Keeping the Garden looking its best is imperative.

We have had quite of number of local people go on the Heritage Walk, especially people who are new to Taupo, and even those who may have only come for a sixth-month posting. Having locals join the walk adds to the experience as a whole as they have additional information to impart to Museum visitors who have come from out of town and overseas.

Turning Exhibitions over every month is part of the Museum's daily business but successful opening nights are very much dependent on the input of Volunteers. Hospitality is something we pride ourselves on at the Museum anyway and the welcome our Volunteers give to our guests on any opening night is part of the whole experience.

Our Volunteers hugely enhance the place of the Museum within the community.

The aim of the Museum is to be an innovative and exciting Museum that tells the special stories of the Taupo District, enhancing the understanding and enjoyment of locals and visitors alike.

From the point of view of the Volunteers, it is their aim to enhance what the Museum has to offer even further, to build on the experience visitors receive and to give to the community something of their skills, experience and knowledge.

Our volunteers give a much appreciated ‘personal touch' when they are involved with visitors and those who work more behind the scenes give the Museum huge support and commitment and are an integral part of the whole.