Geraldine Museums

The five Geraldine museums include: 

1. Geraldine Military Museum
2. Geraldine Museum
3. Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum
4. Roger Mahan Heritage Centre
5. Route 79 Museum

Geraldine Military Museum

Prominently located on the main street of town, the Geraldine Military Museum hosts a superb collection of rare military machinery, memorabilia, and other artefacts from WWI up through the Afghanistan War. 

Designed to be interactive and easily experienced, the museum rotates out displays frequently, so it's well worth visiting more than once. 

A Vietnam War camp display sits at the heart of the museum, while an interactive trench helps recreate the wartime experience with sound effects and movable weaponry.

Highlights include a fully-restored German field kitchen, original military uniforms, and several rare vehicles that might be the last of their kind.  

Geraldine Museum

The Geraldine Museum offers an excellent and well-presented overview of the history of the town. Features including a replica of the first European dwelling built in Geraldine, a recreation of a historic general store, and displays on Barker's of Geraldine, pre-European history, and conservation efforts in the local forests. 

From antiques to stories from the early settlers, you'll find lots to discover here. 

Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum 

From the oldest working tractor in New Zealand to a 1929 Spartan Biplane, the Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum hosts a fantastic collection of vintage cars, farm machinery, and more. 

Roger Mahan Heritage Centre

Collected by Roger Mahan, a Geraldine local who hoped to keep rare heritage vehicles in New Zealand rather than seeing them go overseas, the Roger Mahan Heritage Centre displays an impressive array of vintage cars, large-scale machinery, trucks, and tractors. 

Route 79 Museum 

Located just south of Geraldine, the Route 79 Museum features a collection of cars, motorbikes, tractors, and artillery. 

Posted by Michael Barker on May 29, 2025