The Travel Journal

I love looking through old houses. I love the history, the architecture, the design, and learning about how people used to live in the past. I’ve visited many of these historical houses before, but each one brings a new story and experience. This historic home, Olveston Home, is a time capsule for a wealthy merchant family living in the early 20th Century. Most of the house, including the interior design, is original, making it a unique museum to step into the lives of the family. 

Olveston House was originally built for wealthy Dunedin businessman, collector and philanthropist, David Theomin and his family. The house was meant to be passed down to the Theomin children, Edward and Dorothy, and to the future generations of Theomins. However, this didn’t happen as both children died without heirs. Dorothy Theomin lived in Olveston house, surviving her mother, father, and older brother’s death until her unfortunate passing in 1966. This is when the house was given over to the City of Dunedin, and opened as a museum in 1967 for the lives of a wealthy family living between 1906-1966.

When we entered the house, we met some amazing people. The ladies working at Olveston House for the day were so nice and super informative, and the others we were touring with were super friendly. We hadn’t met a lot of people over in New Zealand besides our tour guides obviously. But as we were waiting for our tour, we were talking to another family in our group who were from the same area we were from back home! What are the chances?

Well, our group was finally together, and the tour began! Because the tour groups are generally small throughout Olveston House, we were able to ask as many questions as we had. And trust me, there wasn’t a question these ladies couldn’t answer! This kept the tour very personal, even though we were still exploring the house with other people. It also meant I wasn’t as overstimulated as I usually would be in a place like this, especially since being in New Zealand, we have been participating in multiple activities a day which can make me fairly tired. But today I could put all of my focus in what was around me. The beautiful paintings and photos of the Theomin life, the stunning blue china that brought me back to my nanna’s home as a kid, the floral tea cups that made me want to hold a garden picnic, and the gorgeous pink dress I only wish I could wear to frolic with the flowers. Everywhere I looked I was in awe of a past so beautiful.

As soon as I stepped into Olveston House I was immersed in the 1900s. It was absolutely beautiful. Everything in the house was original from when the family had lived there, preserved for nearly 100 years for future generations to learn and admire. Even the lighting was the same as it would’ve been for the Theomin family. Which was great for the experience and atmosphere of the house, but for photography purposes, not so much. Oh well, sorry guys. We didn’t just learn about the history of the Theomin family, we learnt about so many little ways of living. How they cooked, how they were entertained, and… I’m sorry but how did adults fit into such small beds!?

Olveston House was so beautiful in its design I wanted to take it home with me. So that’s what I did! There were so many things to choose from in the gift store, but I though a mini DIY construction of the building was perfect for my desire to collect souvenirs from every place I go, as well as satisfying my creative mind. This way I’ll never forget my time at Olveston Historic Home.

All photos in this post were taken by me.

For more information about Olveston Historic Home, visit https://www.olveston.co.nz/