Matamata, Firth Tower

I spent the day over in Matamata, viewing the two main attractions whilst there.
Firth Tower is a historical building on the outskirts of Matamata. It is a very important building in the Matamata Piako district. It was built by Josiah Firth in 1882. The purpose of this tower was to protect and survey the surrounding country, to ensure the people of the Matamata district were always aware of the situation around them. The firth tower is enriched in history, particularly history of Josiah Firth building the tower and owning the surrounding farmland. The set up of the tower is set in a way that the older populations can relieve and replenish any memories they have from early years, photos around the different rooms are used to replenish these memories. The younger generation are able to experience what it was like to live, with activities such as dressing in older clothes, using writing implements etc. The firth tower appeals to various ages, and targets a range of audiences. Whilst these exhibits are socially constructed to suit the tourists of today, the exhibits are based on factual knowledge gathered by older members of the Matamata community.