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As part of the Auckland Heritage Festival, which this year has the theme Tastes of Tāmaki: A Heritage Feast, the Warkworth Museum will offer three activities exploring the history of the region.
The Auckland’s Fruit Bowl exhibition will focus on the orchards, growers, traditions and agricultural heritage of Mahurangi and Rodney.
Visitors will be able to learn how fruit growing became an important part of the local economy, from early settlers growing fruit for their families through to large commercial orchards supplying Auckland and beyond.
The exhibition will also explore the traditions associated with the industry, including the preservation and processing of fruit, as well as the history of a canning and jam factory on the Mahurangi River.
The exhibition will run throughout the festival, from Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, October 11, with admission costing $12 for adults and $5 for children.
There will also be a talk about the origins, early characters and challenges of oyster farming in the Mahurangi Harbour over the past 60 years. Long-time oyster farmers Dianne and Dave Morgan, and Jon Nicholson, will share their experiences and stories from the local industry. The talk will be held on Friday, October 2 at 10am. Entry is $15 and bookings are required.
The talk Sweet, Sharp and Bitter: Crops that shaped the Rodney district, presented by Lyn Wade, will explore the range of crops that supported early settlement and everyday life, showing how orchards and other plantings contributed to the development of Rodney.
It will also look at how apples, pears, citrus and stone fruit thrived in Rodney’s climate, supplying Auckland and helping shape the region’s identity as a food-producing area.
The talk will be held on Wednesday, October 7 at 10am. Entry is $15 and bookings are required.
Warkworth Museum manager Victoria Joule said it was important to get the message out that heritage was not just about old buildings and historic places.
“The Auckland Heritage Festival is a wonderful way of bringing those stories into the community and getting people interested in the history that is right around them,” Joule said. “It gives local heritage groups like us a chance to share some of the stories and people that have helped shape our area and, hopefully, encourage more people to take an interest in and enjoy our local museum.”
Now in its 22nd year, the Auckland Heritage Festival will offer more than 150 free or low-cost events across Auckland.
Info: https://tinyurl.com/4yf54x42
One community many flavours
Warkworth Library will be part of the Auckland Heritage Festival through the Shared Flavours of Warkworth event, which will be held at the Warkworth Masonic Hall on Saturday, September 26, from 11am to 2pm.
Organiser Katherine Mitchell said that as this was the first time the Heritage Festival had focused on food, it was a great opportunity to celebrate the community’s rich cultural heritage through the stories that came with sharing food from around the world.
“We have 10 to 12 tables available for the community to use,” she said. “I think we are blessed to live in such a diverse community, with stories to tell about their journey to New Zealand through food and recipes.”
Entry is free, and tea and coffee will be provided by the library.
