The Homestead
The museum occupies the site of the headquarters of the Matamata Estate, covering 56,000 acres. The estate was established by Auckland entrepreneur Josiah Clifton Firth.
The present homestead (1902) replaces the old station homestead (1879) that was razed by fire. In 1904 the estate was divided into 117 farms and the then manager, John McCaw gained the Tower Farm. The front rooms of the house and the kitchen, dairy and laundry, have been furnished in the style of the late 1880s when the McCaws began their residence.