Last updated November 2026
German engineers once raised a 125 metre radio mast on the flat Awarua Plains, and the station they built spent decades keeping Southland in touch with ships, whalers and Antarctic expeditions.
Awarua Communications Museum now tells that story from one of the former station buildings beside the Bluff Highway, south of Invercargill. Its displays follow public communications from the telegraph and wired telephones through to radio and newer digital technology.
A small film theatre on site, which the museum calls its picture palace, screens heritage film. Volunteers run the museum and open it on Sunday afternoons.
Practical Information
- Address
- 1276 Bluff Highway, Awarua, Invercargill
- Location
- On the former Awarua Radio Station site, which the museum describes as just over 11 km from the Troopers’ Memorial roundabout in Invercargill
- Opening hours
- Sundays, 1pm to 4pm; other visits by arrangement
- Entry
- Charged, cash only (no EFTPOS); see the museum’s home page for prices
- Group visits
- Pre-arranged group visits to the museum and film theatre; the museum’s home page gives the phone contact
- Run by
- Awarua Communications Museum Inc, a volunteer organisation
- Heritage status
- Part of the Awarua Marine Radio Station Historic Area, Heritage New Zealand List No. 7449
- Status
- Check the Awarua Communications Museum’s website before you go.
About Awarua Communications Museum
The museum’s story begins with the radio station around it. The New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department ordered two large wireless stations for the country, and the equipment contract went to the Australasian Wireless Company, which supplied German Telefunken equipment.
German engineers from Telefunken built the Awarua station, and it opened on 18 December 1913. Its original steel mast stood about 125 metres (410 feet) high.
Awarua was a coastal marine station serving both military and civilian users. Staff kept in contact with ships at sea and sent out weather reports, and the station reached whaling ships in the Southern Ocean and expeditions in Antarctica. In the Second World War it was one of the New Zealand stations fitted with radio direction finding equipment.
The station operated until 1991. Heritage New Zealand now lists the complex as the Awarua Marine Radio Station Historic Area. The listing includes the former receiving station, later used as the museum, the foundation of the transmitting mast and three German-style cottages built as staff accommodation.
The museum keeps items mainly from the old Awarua Radio station, along with items used at other similar sites and telephone and telegraph items from the area. Many items come from the engineering work of the New Zealand Post Office, and the museum and its archive are run entirely by volunteers.
The Collection
Displays move from early telegraphy and wired telephones to early radio and later communication technology. Telephones range from party-line sets in wooden cabinets to black bakelite phones with dials, and the museum says its collection is catalogued and will be recorded online. Its website also carries a series of articles on the New Zealand Coastwatchers.
The Picture Palace
The museum’s purpose-built film theatre holds a collection of heritage film. A museum member presents film and video there, and selections can be tailored for clubs and groups, so group visits usually take in both the theatre and the displays. The theatre can also be hired for functions.
Visiting the Site
Signs stand 200 metres either side of the entrance, and an “Open” flag flies at the main road gate when the museum is open. The museum is on the right, beside a cattle-stop.
The museum is one tenant of Invercargill City Council property, and the other buildings on the site are private homes, so visitors should stay at the museum and not go past the cattle-stop.
From locals
How do I spot the museum entrance from the Bluff Highway?
Is there room to park right by the museum, or do you end up leaving the car on the road?
No answers yet. If you know, a local would love to hear it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is Awarua Communications Museum open?
On Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Other visits, including group visits, are by arrangement.
Is there an entry charge?
Yes. Bring cash, because the museum has no EFTPOS. Prices are on the museum’s website.
Where is the museum?
At 1276 Bluff Highway, Awarua, on the former Awarua Radio Station site south of Invercargill.
When did Awarua Radio Station open?
On 18 December 1913. German Telefunken equipment was installed, and the station operated until 1991.
What did the radio station do?
It kept in contact with ships, sent weather reports and reached whaling ships and Antarctic expeditions. In the Second World War it had radio direction finding equipment.
Can I walk around the rest of the radio station site?
No. The other buildings are private homes, and the museum asks visitors not to go past the cattle-stop beside it.
What is the picture palace?
The museum’s purpose-built film theatre, where heritage film is shown. Groups can book visits that include it.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 2
- Heritage New Zealand: Awarua Marine Radio Station: the historic area listing, with the station’s history and surviving buildings.
- Kōtuia: Awarua Communications Museum Inc: the collection, archive and facilities.