A museum on the wild West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Barry and Judy Skinner arrived in the coal mining village of Hector in 2000. Barry, a long time country music musician (dobro, lap steel, guitar) and collector (since 1961) has traveled around the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico playing country music and meeting, collecting, jamming, hunting, treasuring and so much more. Building the amazing, varied and historical museum you see here. Barry has built this museum with his very capable hands.Entering through the front door the visitors will often stand, jaws dropped and eyebrows raised at the scope, style and sheer volume of country music memorabilia theyre confronted with. Out back is Barry's studio storerooms of cassettes, vinyl, CD's, DVD and VCR collections. Every album, tape, CD, DVD is scrupulously recorded, cross referenced and data entried - over 40,000 entries alone on computer - asking how long that took and Barry glibly replies 'ohh about 3 years' and thats just the music collection.
The villages of Hector, Ngakawau and Granity have been coal mining towns since the 1880's - Across the Ngakawau river from the village is the Stockton Open cast coal mine.Not so busy as it once was due to the issues many coal mines face in this day and age - but still a reminder to this day of the history of New Zealand's West Coast. A land of hard case characters - coal and gold miners, timber and fishermen - The Coast is a special and unique part of New Zealands heritage. Economically challenged now due downturn in the world coal industries the villages and towns are very quiet and serene. Not like even 10 years ago when every house had a family, the pubs were rocking, the schools buzzing and the coal trains running 24 hours a day.
Hector Country Music Museum - come on in and yodel.
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