E mihi ana ki ngā tohu ō nehe, ō Hauraki
E mihi ana ki ngā tāngata whenua ō te rohe nei
We recognise the ancestral and spiritual landmarks of Hauraki.
We acknowledge the indigenous people of this area.
Do you or your family have historic connections to the Coromandel-Hauraki area? Are you interested in knowing more about this region's rich and significant past? If so, you have found your way to the right place. There is every chance The Treasury can help you bring to life the stories of bygone days that you are seeking.
The Treasury, a Research Centre and Archive, has its home in Thames on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. Having evolved into specialists in family records, we collect, house, preserve and make accessible paper-based records of the history of the people, organisations and businesses from our rohe/area which includes the entire Coromandel Peninsula and the Hauraki area including Paeroa, Waikino, Waihi, the Hauraki Plains, Ohinemuri and Te Aroha.
The Treasury is housed within two extraordinary buildings side by side at 705 Queen Street, Thames, each quite imposing in their own way and completely juxtaposed architecturally. The Thames Carnegie Library, built in 1905, was refurbished by Thames-Coromandel District Council in 2007 and reopened as The Treasury in 2009. Today The Carnegie Library is recognised as a Category 2 Building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Alongside it, The Treasury Archive is a bespoke designed, award-winning state of the art facility, stark in its architecture, which respectfully and artistically interprets aspects of the Carnegie Library design. Read more about the buildings.
At The Treasury, the past is not lost. It is tended carefully and respectfully. The stories are honoured and told. Currently holding largely post-colonisation records, an active move toward broader cultural inclusion in our collections is underway at The Treasury.
Led by heritage sector professionals, our team of history-passionate volunteers are here to help you explore detail of the lives of those who came before you and us.
We're excited to announce the release of our new book True Tales of Waihi this October! A collation of local recollections by local people. Visit our Facebook page to find out about our book launch event or email us.
Our archive catalogue is now available online! It opens the doors to a trove of historical records, including digitised images of the Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki District. Approximately 40% of our catalogue has been catalogued with more being added every day. Click here to start searching.
The annual Te Kauaeranga | Thames heritage festival kicks off Friday 29th September for three days of celebrations. The Treasury is supporting the festival with three events - learn how to map your own history, get a free digitsed copy of a treasured family photo or come and learn the harp! Visit the festival website for the programme of events.
We wouldn’t be able to safeguard our treasures or share them with you without vital funding and partnerships. There are a number of ways you can support what we do:
Volunteer with us
Donate
Become a member
Follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages
Subscribe to our e-newsletters.
The Treasury’s doors are open to both physical and remote visitors. You can explore our abundant collections in person; or you can engage our skilled research team to assist you or even to do all the research yourself; and as more and more of our collection is catalogued and digitised, in the future our whole Archive and Reading Room resources will be accessible and you will be able to research virtually.
This quote was the opening statement of The Coromandel Heritage Trust’s successful 2013 application to Lottery Environment & Heritage which was the final enabler of the Archive build. Daring to dream is what has created the Archive we see today at The Treasury.
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