Butler Point Whaling Museum, Maritime museum in Hihi, New Zealand.

Butler Point Whaling Museum occupies the Butler Point property at Hihi, near Mangōnui on Doubtless Bay. It comprises William Butler's 1847 homestead, moved from Paewhenua Island, a purpose-built museum with a restored fully equipped whaling boat, tryworks, harpoons, models and scrimshaw, and subtropical gardens containing a pōhutukawa with a 12-metre circumference.

Two main buildings on the site date to the 1840s: William Butler's house and a building originally from the Waimate Mission that was later moved here. These structures reflect the early settlements that grew with the whaling industry and religious missions in the region.

The property includes Moehuri pā, an excavated and interpreted Māori settlement site tied to Ngāti Kahu, which visitors can see alongside the whaling collection. The Ferguson family has owned and curated the museum since 1970, and Janice Mogford's book "The Butler House, Mangonui 1847-1990" documents Captain William Butler and the property's history.

Visitors should arrange a guided tour in advance, as this is the best way to learn about the buildings and their stories. The site is easy to walk around, though you may want to set aside some time to explore the buildings and gardens fully.

The pōhutukawa on the grounds measures 10.9 metres around, which the museum describes as the largest in the world; the English Wikipedia gives 12 metres and calls it one of the largest in New Zealand. The property also holds the excavated and interpreted Moehuri pā, telling of early Māori settlement and the local iwi, Ngāti Kahu.