“We Drove Here”, a new exhibition looking at the Kiwi road trip, opens at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery in Alexandra next month and promises something different. 

This exhibition was curated by guest curator Michael Findlay who worked with the Hocken Library Collections staff to showcase the wonderful resources from the Hocken Collection and present them in a themed exhibition that looks at the social side of early motoring. 

How did children entertain themselves on a long trip to the crib? What happened when the roads were flooded? Why was that hedge shaped like a chicken?

Find out at “We Drove Here” at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery from 6 February to 28 March 2021. (Continue with story below)

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The social history approach touches on a range of cultural intersections: pioneering motorists; road-making, both urban and rural; the infrastructure and industries that sprang up through the 20th century to support and supply demand; car clubs and motor racing; family holidays; and all the financial luggage that car (and motorcycle) ownership requires.

The exhibition fills the Henderson and Grant Galleries with classic vehicles on display in the Central Stories Foyer.

Central Stories Manager, Brian Budd says the exhibition “is different to what has been shown in the Art Gallery in the past and is part of a strategy to broaden the types of events we offer to attract a more diverse range of people visiting Central Stories.”

The exhibition is developed with the support of the Otago Motor Club Trust and curated by the Hocken Library in Dunedin.

In conjunction with the Exhibition opening, there will be a car show in Pioneer Park on Saturday February 6 from 10am to 3pm.