We recently spent four weeks on a road trip around the top half of the South Island. In each town we stayed in that had a museum we spent many hours looking at their displays and reading about their local history. What amazing and interesting places they were.

The museums we visited were all located in the downtown shopping area and were mostly in old buildings that had been renovated for purpose. It showed us that you don't have to spend multi millions to achieve a high standard.

The custodians were all very proud of what they had achieved in telling their stories and gave visitors an enthusiastic welcome. They were all busy places.

When asked about Tauranga we were embarrassed to say that we did not have a museum.

It is time we displayed our rich history without further delay. A museum can only benefit our city and add to the other attractions that make Tauranga a great place to live.

J and M Rountree, Matua.