The museum occupies part of the old waterfront offices of the former Kawhia County Council. It specialises in photographs and publications of old Kawhia, carvings of Tainui origin and Jurassic fossils from the district. It also displays a kauri racing whaleboat built in the early 1880s.
The museum functions as a visitor centre from Labour Weekend to Easter and provides information on tides, beach access and regional road conditions.