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Chris Goodsell (left) with Hayden Beissel (right)
(the Museum’s Promotions and Events Manager).
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NZ's Southward Car Museum
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by Chris Goodsell (from Road Ramblings)
22nd July, 2012
During our recent New Zealand we were speaking to a local as we prepared
dinner in the community kitchen at a cabin park in Levin. The conversation drifted to cars, as it often does with me.
Then I heard the words “the best museum in the country is only a few kilometres from here”. Promptly I get the details.
It's the Southward Car Museum that we'll be looking for. Yeah, I thought, I’ve seen some pretty good motor museums in
my travels.
Next day we stop outside these enormous gates leading to a palatial complex. Better have a look I thought. We go
inside and are welcomed with open arms by Stan Bellamore who shows us around the complex. Let me say right now, this is
the best motor museum I’ve seen. A big call when you’ve been to museums in Australia, the UK and Europe. But I stand by
that assessment.
Designed and built by the late Sir Len Southward, this customised facility houses the southern hemispheres largest
private car collection. The building also contains extensive conference and function facilities, a theatre (complete with
operational pipe organ) and a cafe and restaurant, all set in six hectares of park-like grounds. The museum itself is
home to over 400 automobiles and various other exhibits including aircraft, bicycles, a range of vintage tools and other
automobile memorabilia. If you get to one museum while you are in NZ make sure its this one. On the internet, they are
at: www.southwardcarmuseum.co.nz (opens in a new browser
window).
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