southward car museum

Stopped on our way to Taupo from Wellington, I'm not a motor nut, but it is a fantastic collection of vintage cars, because we were on a coach tour we could not spend the time it deserves, but if you like cars don't miss it.

We made a point of visiting this museum on the drive from Wellington to Palmerston North and boy was it worth it. What a fabulous collection. 3 hours flew buy and we could have stayed longer. My personal highlight was upon my new wife asking Tim if I could sit in the Delorean as honeymoon gift, he was more than willing and chatted to us about the cars for a good 30 minutes afterwards. Also check out the gift shop. The prices are very good. If you are in the area and cars are your thing then it's unmissable.

Wow what a variety of historic cars, and motor cycles, seeing as NZ's motherland is England they have a collection from both N. America and Europe. A must see if you are in the area near Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast.

Southwards is an amazing place to visit and a wonderful venue but there website is one of the worst I have encountered. In light of the fact many of their visitors would view their website they should have a serious look at it. Especially in regard to the shows and productions that they have there.

An amazing collection of cars, bikes and many other related items. It really is worth a visit but make sure to allow plenty of time - there are so many things of interest.

.........situated about an hour’s drive north from Wellington. i virtually had the place to myself, as i was very early that day, free to wander around the exhibition which has approaching 400 vehicles including motorbikes, all mostly in excellent and drivable condition. i only had time for a short visit but there is so much to see that you easily spend the whole day there. Do not forget to visit the lower floor too. one day i will come back and ask to see the workshop...best regards, Robert Peel, from Fanoe Island, Denmark

Popped in on our way home from 3 days in the area on a wet Sunday morning. So pleased we did. An amazing collection of cars and so much more. All beautifully presented and displayed. Even the sub frames and stripped down chassis were interesting to see. Sir Len was most certainly a man with a passion ! Loved the gangster car with bullet proof glass.

This is situated about an hour’s drive north from Wellington. We arrived mid morning and virtually had the place to ourselves. We were free to wander around the exhibition which has approaching 400 vehicles including motorbikes, all mostly in excellent condition. There is also an extensive model collection. We only had time for a short visit but there is so much to see that you easily spend the whole day there. Don’t forget to visit the lower floor.Contact: http://www.southwardcarmuseum.co.nz/

Booked this for my husband as his birthday was on our cruise. Exceeded our expectations. My husband was thrilled.++ Biggest private collection ever seen. Over 200 of beautiful vehicles, however, Mr Southward was an avid collector of other things, so there were other interest items as well. Prams, sewing machines, a fantastic working Wurlitzer organ. (Bought the CD) coffee shop which is also filled with souvenirs. Totally pleased we booked this tour. Collection is amazing we bought the DVD.

This museum is world class. For a start it is huge and crammed full of cars (and bikes and planes). Most are beautifully preserved and there are cars to interest everyone. There are gangster cars, an all copper car and loads more.You really don't know where to begin when you get there but you just have to visit if you get a chance.

My wife and I did not know anything about this place only what was advertised in the tour. As we walked in we were totally blown away with the size of this place and what they have on show. Even if you are not into cars there is something for everyone. Very clean and tidy with plenty of room to move around and view. Only problem was we were on a bus tour and had a limited time so we were rushed. Still to me this is one of the best highlights of our tour to NZ. Well worth a second visit next time we visit New Zealand. Also you can purchase a coffee and walk through at your own speed.

While I am a bit of a car/motor racing fan, it exceeded my expectations plenty. Visited with my sons aged four and seven. They both loved it for over an hour, which was about 45 mins longer than expected. Some absolutely stunning exhibits, many of which will interest our international visitors. Don't miss downstairs; worth going down for. Everything beautifully presented. Well worth going out of your way to visit.

What a fantastic range of cars and motorbikes! We were staying in Otaki with elderly family and it had not stopped raining. This was a hidden gem and somewhere where everyone could explore the collection at their own pace. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone staying in the area. Very well laid out and beautifully kept.

I visited the southward car museum with my husband and his mate. As a girl, cars aren't really my thing, but I found myself enjoying all the cars on display. I especially liked the out-of-the-ordinary cars like the electric car and the car made out of copper.

I visited with my partner and we really enjoyed it. So many different vehicles from so many eras, you can't fail to be impressed. It's well worth a visit just to see such an awesome collection!!