This week we are lucky enough to have four visits over four days from Goldfields Primary School to the museum. They are visiting to learn all about the gold rush of the 1860s. The activities the students undertook included exploring the Chinese village; going back in time in Miss Grey's classroom and viewing the GOLD 150 exhibition and the museum displays.

What did you learn?

• what are some of the materials the Chinese used to build their huts?
• why is the Chinese village on the 'edge' of town?
• what was the Chinese man's name who owned the store?
• what type of toilet in the the Chinese village?
• what was you favourite thing in the museum?
• what did you write with in Miss Grey's classroom?

We hope you ALL enjoyed your visit to us and look forward to hearing all about it on this BLOG!

Today, the sun shone brightly and Mount Aspiring came over the hill to visit us at the Museum. Here to learn all about the past with a focus on gold mining they experienced a range of actvities. These included the Chinese village, an historic walk, viewing of the GOLD 150 exhibition, exploring the museum and completing a series of tasks a miner would have to undertake during his day!

What did you learn? How do you make butter? What are the Chinese huts made of? What different technology was introduced to the goldfields from the miners? especially in terms of finding gold!.......

We hope you had a good time and look forward to hearing about your visit on this blog!!

Today saw the Year 13 Geography class from Tokomairiro College visit the museum to hear the presentation on tourism in the QLDC area.

They saw pictures and drew maps of the spatial and temporal changes in tourism over time from the early Victorians to the Shotover Jet & Gondola to the extreme adventrue of the 'Fly by Wire' back to a more sustainable form of tourism with the Ziptrek ride.

We hope you found the information useful and wish you all the best for your upcoming exams!

Today saw more students view the GOLD 150 exhibition! We hope you enjoyed it and found out some new information and facts. What was the most interesting object? Can you remember the story of the Shotover Ring? Or Maori Point?

Today over 80 Year 3 & 4 students from The Terrace School in Alexandra stepped back into the past at the museum! Rotating around four different activities they experienced Miss Grey's classroom; panned for gold in the Arrow River; saw Saint Mary MacKillop's cottage and the old Gaol and viewed our GOLD 150 exhibition.

What did you learn? Would you like to be in Miss Grey's classroom everyday? Was panning hard? Could you survive in Gaol? What new things did you see in the exhibition or the museum??

We hope you had a good time with us and the rest of your camp went well! Tell us all about it on this BLOG!

Today saw Waimahaka School visit the museum and step back in time! They experienced an 1880s classroom with Miss Grey, explored the musem and our 'new' exhibition on GOLD and finally panned for gold in the Arrow River!

Most were successful panners (including the adults!) and we hope you enjoyed your time with us. What was your favourite part? What is something new that you learnt? Would you like to gold pan again?

Tell us about your visit on this blog!!

Today, Tisbury School visited the museum! First they experienced an 1880s classroom with Miss Grey - what was it like? is your teacher like Miss Grey?! Then the explored the museum - what interesting things did you see? Finally they panned for gold on the Arrow River. Some were lucky enough to 'strike it rich!'

We hope you had a good time and look forward to hearing about your visit on this blog!

This morning St Mary's Gore visited the museum. They survived Miss Grey's classroom, explored the museum (quickly!), followed in St Mary MacKillop's footsteps and then panned for gold in the Arrow River.

We hope you had a good time and learnt lots - could you survive an 1880s class? would you like a teacher like Miss Grey? What was the name of the school in Arrowtown that Mary MacKillop helped establish?

Send us a message on this blog!

Today, saw the first of several school groups make the trip out the museum to view our major exhibition of 2012 - GOLD Is Where You Find It. Year 7 & 8 students from Queenstown Primary School spent time (armed with clipboards and pencils) reading and looking at all the interesting artefects from the Central Otago goldfields. 

We hope you enjoyed it and go away with some new facts and information about how the miners lived and settled in our local area.

Today saw 21 students from Waitaki Valley School visit the museum. They survived Miss Grey and being locked up in an Old Gaol, then explored the museum and the Chinese village before finally panning for gold in the Arrow River. Most were lucky but remember if you didn't find gold don't worry...there is plenty more out there...SOMEWHERE!

We hope you had a safe trip hope and look forward to hearing about your visit on this blog!

Today saw St Brigid's from Dunedin spent a day at the museum learning all about life in the past.

They survived Miss Grey's classroom, hunted for information in the museum, made and sampled butter using two different methods, were locked up in a gaol cell, played quiots, visiting Saint Mary Mckillop's cottage, saw the Chinese miners huts and finally panned for gold in the Arrow River.

Can you remember the name of the type of gold some of you were lucky enough to find? What did you use to write with in Miss Grey's classroom? How many cells were there in the old gaol?

We hope you enjoyed you visit to us and it would be great to hear from you on this blog!

Today was the 2nd day of the school holiday 'GOLD' programme at the Museum and it was excellent to see some faces back from yesterday as well as some new ones!!

Today was all about TREASURE!! the morning started with the design and preparation of clues and questions to be hidden for the afternoon session. There were some tough hiding places and questions!

The afternoon saw the hunt begin!! There were clues to find in the museum, outside the museum and at the old Gaol. Then it was off to the river to try and find the hidden treasure!! Everyone was very lucky when the chest was found and everyone got a small piece of REAL gold!!! Well done!

We hope you had fun and will come back tomorrow : )