Established on 7 July 1952, the Tauranga Historical Society aim to facilitate the Preservation, Interpretation and Participation of our community in the rich natural, cultural, and built heritage of Tauranga Moana and the Western Bay of Plenty. Each Sunday, volunteer guides from the Society open the Brain-Watkins House Museum (Est. 1881) and Heritage Garden to the public between 2pm and 4pm, and at other times by special request.

Work on the Brain-Watkins House Museum started in September 1881 when a shipment of kauri arrived in Tauranga for boatbuilder Capt. Joseph Denham Brain. The Brain family occupied the house through the generations for 98 years. When the last of the five Brain sisters died in 1979, the house and contents were gifted to the Tauranga Historical Society. On 4 April 1983, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga registered the house as an Historic Place Category 2.

Today, the house offers an insight into the life of a middle-class European family of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and tells the story of the fledgling township of Tauranga from 1881 to 1979. It is predominantly the story of the women of the Brain family, and the collection is an eclectic mix of all the decades during the period of occupation. Donations towards the upkeep of the historic house are most welcome (NZ Charities No. CC26888).

Contact the host of Brain-Watkins House Garden Party