📍 15 Mission Street, Tauranga
📍 Address: 15 Mission Street, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
📞 Phone: +64 7 577 9772
🌐 Website: theelms.org.nz
This museum is truly worth visiting. The staff explained the fascinating history of both the site and the town. The houses and gardens are beautiful, and the area also features a library, a chapel, and many other attractions to explore.
I absolutely loved this place! The garden is stunning, filled with magnificent ancient trees that create a serene and picturesque atmosphere. Meeting David, our tour guide and a professional historian, was a real highlight — his knowledge and passion made the tour both enriching and informative. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history and natural beauty!
My husband and I visited the Elms Mission while visiting the Tauranga area on the north island of New Zealand, and found it extremely interesting. Our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and personable, and able to answer all of our questions. The Elms Mission was founded by the Anglican missionary, Alfred Brown, & his first wife, Charlotte, in 1838. Brown learned the local Maori language (impressive) and preached the Christian message to Maori throughout the Bay of Plenty, often walking over rough tracks to remote settlements. He converted many Maori to the Christian faith. However, the battle of Gate Pa on April 21, 1864 (battle between the Maori and the English imperial troops) forever changed this as British soldiers were given land previously occupied by the Maori people. As the Maori were forced to abandon their ancestral lands, the work of the Te Papa Elms Mission Station declined. Brown and his second wife, Christina, purchased the mission and some surrounding land in 1873. Brown died in 1884, and Christina died in 1887, but the land remained in her family until 1997. The Elms Foundation was founded in 1999 and purchased the Elms Mission. Today, you can tour the mission for $20 New Zealand dollars, which is well worth it. You get a guided tour of the house and the library (which are filled with antiques and pictures from the Browns and their relatives), and can then explore the grounds, which includes the chapel and several other outbuildings. We would strongly recommend that you walk to the Elms Cemetery to see the graves of Alfred Brown, his son, and his wife, as well as the Maori chief, and the graves of several of the officers and enlisted Imperial troops. It's a great cemetery if you like cemeteries! We were very impressed with the Elms Mission. If you like history, this is the place for you!
Beautifully maintained historic site with fantastic gardens. The lovely guide (Judy, I believe) was so knowledgeable and passionate about the topics of the presentation. She added another layer of perfection to an already magnificent experience.
A slice of history in this part of the Bay of Plenty. You'll be transported back in time inside the well-preserved cabins or houses where the people back then used to live in. The garden is just awesome! Serene and quiet in the heart of the city. The guides are welcoming, pleasant and very knowledgeable.
This is a beautifully conserved slice of history. The grounds are well-maintained and the tour guides are so knowledgeable! Would highly recommend a visit!
Definitely worth the visit! A very interesting piece of New Zealand history and Dorothy was a fantastic guide, thank you for taking us around and your stories
The Host & the Guide made our experience more memorable. We Enjoyed Mr Bob’s company, a beautiful historical place to visit.
Took the opportunity to stop off (road trip) at the Elms on the way home to stretch our legs. Great value for money and the guide was very knowledgeable about the house and garden and the early history or 'modern' New Zealand. The garden is well maintained and we spent just as much time wandering around it as we did inside the house and library.
Wow! Such beautiful grounds with so much history, 3 delightful guides took me around, they were so enthusiastic and passionate about sharing the information about the Elms. And I did not know the first ever building in New Zealand of the library amazing! And listening to the guides I felt I had been transported back in time visualizing them walking around from the 1800's. So much to see so many interesting everyday items used that we dont need to use these days, that were so valuable back then, even common illnesses such as asthma which effected one of those living in this time died. Highly recommend to visit.
The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga is located at 15 Mission Street, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
You can contact The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga at +64 7 577 9772
You can find directions to The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga by following this map link
72 Devonport Road, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand
1 Kiteroa Street, Greerton, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand
50 Fifteenth Avenue, Tauranga South, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand
306 Chadwick Road, Greerton, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand
56b Oropi Road, Greerton, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand
15 Cypress Street, Judea, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand