In the Museum and Beyond
Visit seven days a week and enjoy special events by joining our Friends programme.
JOIN USWhat’s On at Cambridge Museum
There’s always something happening at Cambridge Museum from fascinating talks and local history displays to special community events. Come along, discover stories from our past, and connect with people who care about keeping our heritage alive.
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Walk, make, discover.
Join us over the Summer holidays
Summer is a great time to slow down, look around, and discover something new. We’ve got two relaxed, hands-on ways to enjoy local history at the Museum this holidays.
Guided Historic Walking Tours
Step outside and see the town differently.
Our popular guided walks explore Cambridge’s main street and layered histories. They’re easy-paced, full of surprising details, and suitable for locals and visitors alike.
- Held Tuesday and Sunday at 11 am between 6-20 Jan and 1-24 Feb
- About 45 minutes
- Starts and finishes at the Museum at 24 Victoria Street, Cambridge
- Free
No booking needed, but spaces are limited. For groups of 6 or more, please register.
Summer Craft Days at the Museum
Drop in. Get creative. Stay as long as you like.
Perfect for families, grandparents with grandchildren, or anyone who enjoys making things by hand. Activities are inspired by local history and objects from the collection.
- Monday Morning drop-in sessions
- All materials provided
- Child-friendly and relaxed
Monday, 12 January – Mini Bridge Builders inspired by the High-Level Bridge. Can you build a bridge that can support our cows?
Monday 19 January – Landscape Lanterns Create paper lanterns decorated with silhouettes of trees, horses and local landmarks.
No booking needed, but spaces are limited. For groups of 6 or more, please register
FRIENDS ONLY EVENT – Join here
Tuesday May 26th, 2026 – JOINT PARTNERSHIP HISTORY LECTURE – Christopher Archer & Warren Dawson ( – Recovering a New Zealand ANZAC Legacy – The Story of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in Egypt and Palestine (1916–1919)
On the eve of WWI in 1914, New Zealand dispatched two brigades to join the Imperial Army—one of Infantry and one of Mounted Horse. After Gallipoli, the infantry was sent to Europe, but the Mounted Brigade remained in Egypt.
Over the next three years, the troopers of the NZMR rode 400 miles across desert and mountain in a campaign that defeated the Ottoman, German, and Austrian forces in a series of victories unmatched in military history. Yet, their extraordinary story was largely forgotten in the aftermath of the war—until, a hundred years later, their legacy began to be recovered.
Christopher Archer, historian and author of Saviours of Zion, and Warren Dawson, who retraced his grandfather’s route in partnership with Israeli historians, will share their insights into this remarkable history. Together, they have also been closely involved with the project to erect a 5-metre Silver Fern memorial in Gan Sorek, Israel, commemorating the New Zealand troopers who fought in Palestine.
FRIENDS ONLY EVENT – Join here
Tuesday August 25th, 2026 – JOINT PARTNERSHIP HISTORY LECTURE – Dr James Goodrich – Odontology and a Marine: The Battle of Tarawa
Dr James (Jimbo) Goodrich is an active forensic odontologist in Cambridge, with more than 25 years experience in the field.He attended the Christchurch Earthquake, Mosque Shootings, and Whakaari White Island Volcano disaster victim identification efforts, as well as more routine individual identification work for the police.
He has presented internationally on his work with Drs Corinne D’Anjou and David Senn with identification of marines from the Battle of Tarawa in 1941, among other things.
Jim is a Fellow of several organisations, including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and is a past president of the New Zealand Society of Forensic Odontology.
Jim is one of the few members of the New Zealand Society of Forensic Odontology to have been fully credentialed in Bitemarks, and his current interests are in the field of the ethical considerations around using dental age estimation to threshold adulthood.
FRIENDS ONLY EVENT – Join here
Tuesday October 27th, 2026 – – JOINT PARTNERSHIP HISTORY LECTURE -Rod Smith – From Galway to the Waikato Land War – A peerage family’s connections
Rod Smith, family history researcher and writer, presents “Galway to the Waikato Land Wars – A Peerage Family’s Connections”.
Rod is a retired public servant, and former newspaper journalist and probation officer. His career included time crewing a cargo freighter, work in an English youth conference centre, and service in the Justice Department, Parliament, the Ministry of Defence, the Forest Service, and the Accident Compensation Corporation.
An avid family historian for over 35 years he has researched in depth his wife’s connections to landed Irish families, publishing his findings in two books – Guinness Down Under: the famous brew and the family come to Australia and New Zealand (2017) and Clancarty: the high times and humble of a noble Irish Family (2024). While researching Clancarty he discovered reports of the family’s involvement in the Waikato Land War of 1863-64 and a revealing speech given by the 3rd Earl of Clancarty in the House of Lords in 1864 on the subject of New Zealand race relations. Rod’s presentation will explore the events of 1863-64 and the several connections between the Earls of Clancarty and New Zealand.