The small NZ town housing an extremely rare treasure trove

Don Pelvin clambers to the top of the fully functional Scorpion tank to pose for a photograph, while telling a great yarn about how a bride and groom had requested the machine for their wedding in Middlemarch.
So Pelvin, 71, loaded it on his transporter in Geraldine three weeks ago and took it south, where it trundled into the ceremony with the groom – and then later on out again, to the reception, with the newly-weds on board.
The guests were blown away – figuratively, of course.
The fully restored tank – one of only two former NZ Army Scorpions left in New Zealand after the other 24 were sold overseas in 2000 – sits pride of place in Pelvin’s remarkable Geraldine Military Museum in the heart of the South Canterbury town.
It is part of a collection of rare – some of them extremely rare – vehicles that Pelvin has collected over many years.
The museum has been open for just over a year, helping draw even more visitors into a town that is already thriving as a stop-off point for tourists heading to the likes of Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook.
While Pelvin owns most of the vehicles, one of the remarkable things about the museum is how it has drawn in other collectors’ extraordinary memorabilia and items from a relatively small catchment area.
There’s a Vietnam collection from a bloke in Waimate, a German collection from a bloke in Dunsandel, a chaplaincy tent and display from a bloke in Horarata, and even a water canteen collection from a bloke in Pleasant Point.
“We were having smoko one day and a guy walked in and said, do you want a couple of airplanes to hang up there?” says Pelvin.
“He said, ‘I’ve got a Fokker D6 and a French Nieuport’. He’s from Rangitata!”
So there the two replica planes are, hoisted high on the ceiling of the building that Pelvin bought in July 2023 after spotting it while he sat in The Running Duck Cafe across the road.
Before I started on the road trip, travel writer Peter Janssen noted to me the rise of small museums in many of our regional towns and communities – the Geraldine Military Museum is a classic example, made all the more incredible by how it came about.
Pelvin had been simply looking for a building to house his vehicles that had been sitting on his small farm at Pleasant Point, never expecting to turn it into a museum.
But with encouragement and the support of other collectors, it became a no-brainer to share his passion with the public.
The line-up of military vehicles includes a WWII M29 amphibious Weasel (believed to be one of only two in New Zealand); a New Zealand Pattern Wheeled Carrier (believed to be the last of its kind here); and a Loyd Charging Carrier (believed to be the last one in the world).
The museum has been a labour of love, and now has a fulltime staff member and enough daily and weekend visitors to pay for itself.
The museum has been carefully designed and is purposely interactive and updated regularly. There are no “do not touch” signs here. There’s a kids’ section and school groups and rest-home residents can visit for free.
Pelvin, 71, who spent 14 years as a Army territorial soldier after being called up for service in 1972, says the reaction from the local community has been incredible.
The museum certainly helps make the case for Geraldine being a destination in its own right.
“This is a pretty integral part of town – it’s brought a lot of people in.”
Pelvin, who has more than two dozen vehicles in his collection, says he’s still buying rare machines. He knows there’s more out there and not too far away, either.
“You would be amazed. The stuff that is in New Zealand is quite incredible.”
In the meantime, he is thrilled with the reception the museum has received.
“There’s actually visitors who are part of this museum and don’t even know it until they see their photos or other stuff that we’ve got in here.
“If I see somebody go out of here with a smile on their face, I’ve achieved what I set out to do. We’ve had people leave here in tears… it’s quite humbling.”

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor.