Howick Historical Village is a living museum in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a re-creation of a New Zealand colonial village using surviving buildings from the surrounding area. Despite its name, the Village is actually located in the suburb of Pakuranga. Village history The Howick Historical Society was originally formed in May 1962 following a public meeting of people interested in local history. The development of Howick Historical Village began in 1972 when Bell House was offered to the Society. The local council offered five acres of land next to Bell House to be used to form the village. This was later extended to a total of seven acres. It took eight years to develop the area into a living museum using volunteer labour. Over this time, a number of historical buildings were offered to the Society which were all relocated to the village. The work was funded largely from the sale of Christmas cards and from cake stalls. On 8 March 1980, the Howick Colonial Village was officially opened by Allan Highet, Minister of Internal Affairs, on behalf of Governor-General Sir Keith Holyoake, who was unwell on the day. At this stage, the village consisted of fourteen buildings. It was later renamed to become Howick Historical Village, and it was further developed to incorporate more than 30 buildings alongside a pond and historical gardens. The development and operation of the village was funded from admission fees, income generated from events and bookings, donations, plus some funding from The Howick Local Board. Since 2016, the village has been used as a set to film for the YouTube group Viva La Dirt League. Governance The village is owned and operated by the Howick & Districts Historical Society Incorporated, which is a registered charity. As an incorporated society, any individual can become a member on payment of an annual subscription. Members elect a board each year at the annual general meeting. The board consists of a president, secretary, treasurer and up to seven members. Visiting The village is open to the public every day of the year (except Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Good Friday) from 10am-4pm (last entry at 3pm). Live Days are held periodically, when costumed volunteers re-enact daily life in Victorian New Zealand times. School groups continue to visit the Museum regularly as part of their LEOTC (Learning Experience Outside The Classroom) studies. Weddings and other private celebrations