The Display Area
This is the most popular part of the facility. It contains 28 horizontal cabinets for regalia, breast and collar jewels and small 3-dimensional objects, badges, mark tokens, and books. Three tall glass ‘towers’ show ceramics, jugs, bowls, glassware of many types, and metal objects such as trivets. There is one large sloping display for regalia, which currently holds a number of aprons, collars and sashes of Friendly and Fraternal societies.
One wall has a row of six sloping-top cabinets with examples of ‘one of each’ Past Masters’ presentation breast jewels of NZ lodges, and a seventh cabinet of NZ Royal Arch Past First Principals’ jewels. This line of displays is usually the first attraction for Masons accompanied by the question “Is my lodge there?”
None of these cabinets have the full range of such jewels so more are always welcome. Where such jewels are received but an example is already there, they are mounted on boards and stored flat in drawers in the Store.
Conversely those who are not Masons more particularly ladies tend to look more favourably at the other cabinets especially the very old regalia, glassware and ceramics.
The cabinets at any one time show only a small proportion of the entire Museum Inventory. The contents of several of the cabinets are changed from time to time to maintain interest.
The Museum Store
This is the Aladdin’s Cave and possibly the most important part of the whole facility. It is here where the vast majority of the Inventory is housed in the right temperature and humidity.
In the photos you can see brown wooden cabinets which contain display boards of jewels, aprons mostly 1760 to 1840 era, and banners. The light grey cabinets contain photos. The dark grey cabinets have 15 drawers of certificates of many orders and degrees, many non-Masonic from Freemasons, and several drawers of charters. The plastic containers contain archives of existing lodges, chapters, Mark, Rose Croix, NZ and English. Behind the door and not seen in these pictures are more shelves of such archives of closed lodges and chapters, Rose Croix etc.
Archives include minute books, attendance books, membership registers, Installation programmes and key accounting records.
The line of cabinets in the middle of the store contain bibles, glassware, ceramics, metal and wooden objects, and hundreds of Installation programmes.
On the right are more archives of existing lodges, but the majority are boxes of regalia including 14 boxes of Friendly and Fraternal societies.
Regalia:
Aprons, collars
collar jewels (pendants),
breast jewels (medals)
badges,
clothing.
Sashes
Fezes
Gauntlets
Hats
Personal:
Coin pouch,
Cigarette holder,
Lapel badges and pins
Matchbox holders,
Military medals
Military paybooks
Penknives, razor,
Snuff boxes
Ties
Walking sticks
Cufflinks
Jewellery, watch-
chain fobs,
Watches
Souvenirs,
Documents:
Charters, certificates,
genealogical papers,
Engravings
Letters
Maps
Paintings
Plans
Postage stamps, first
day covers
Postcards
Posters
PrintsTable mats
Other:
Addressograph label
printer
Banners, flags
Cases
Ceramic bowls
Crib board
Cups, saucers, plates,
teapots
Cutlery
Die
Dinner plates
Firing glasses,
Glass bottles
Horse brasses
Moulds
plaques, bronze,
ceramics
Printing blocks
Punchbowls
Rubber stamps
Signs
Tripods,
Trivets
Photographs:
Photos, photo slides
Portraits
Meeting equipment:
Ashlars
Axes, picks, shovels,
crowbars
Ballot boxes
Batons
Bibles lodge/chapter
Bows arrows
Collection plates,
bags
Compasses
Cushions
Gavels, candle
snuffers
Gongs, strikers,
Levels
Mauls,
Plumb rules
Pointers
Sceptres
Squares
Swords
Tracing boards
Trowels
Wands, cavalry lances
Promotional:
Ashtrays, metal,
ceramics
Beer mats
Bookmarks,
Bottle openers,
Branding iron
Cake slices, desk
pens,
Buttons
Paperweights
Teaspoons,
Tokens, medallions
Keyrings
Keys
Mugs
Scarves
Scissors
Silverware, bowls,
jugs, cups,
Tankards
Trophies