Key facts
- Fact 01
Queenstown's library story dates back to 1876, when the Atheneum, later the Old Stone Library, was built.
- Fact 02
A referendum voted 343 to 175 to preserve the Old Stone Library after a 1965 to 1971 campaign by the Queenstown Historical Society.
Te Whare Pukapuka o Tāhuna, Queenstown Library, is marking 150 years of library services with a celebration week from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 November 2026. We read the Queenstown Lakes District Libraries 150 Years page on 5 November, and the details below come from it.
The main event is the Grand Celebration Day on Saturday 28 November, from 10am to 2pm at Queenstown Library, 10 Gorge Road. The library lists activities for all ages: arts and crafts, balloon animals, a book sale, cake, face painting, food vendors, games, gold panning, local history, magic shows, a time travel photobooth and storytime. Dressing up is encouraged, as a favourite book character or in a historic costume. The libraries publish the rest of the week's programme on their events page and in a celebration brochure.
The library story dates back to 1876. The Atheneum, one of Queenstown's early stone buildings of the goldrush age, soon became known as the Old Stone Library and was joined to the new Courthouse. When the borough council decided to demolish it, the Queenstown Historical Society led a campaign to save it from 1965 to 1971. A referendum voted 343 for preservation and 175 for destruction, so the building stayed. The Malaghan Library opened in 1971, and the current library opened in 1999 in the former underground carpark of the Queenstown RSA building. Wānaka Library reaches its own 150 years in 2027.
The library is an easy stop on a family day in town; see our Queenstown family holiday guide and our Queenstown rainy day planner for more ideas nearby.
Questions visitors are asking
When is the Queenstown Library 150th celebration?
Queenstown Library holds a celebration week from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 November 2026. The highlight is the Grand Celebration Day on Saturday 28 November, from 10am to 2pm at the library on Gorge Road, with activities for all ages and dressing up encouraged.
Where is Queenstown Library?
Queenstown Library, Te Whare Pukapuka o Tāhuna, is at 10 Gorge Road in central Queenstown. The current library opened there in 1999 in the former underground carpark of the Queenstown RSA building, after the Malaghan Library of 1971 outgrew itself, and it hosts the 150 years celebration day.
What is on at the Queenstown Library Grand Celebration Day?
The Queenstown Library Grand Celebration Day on 28 November lists arts and crafts, balloon animals, a book sale, cake, face painting, food vendors, games, gold panning, local history, magic shows, a time travel photobooth and storytime. Visitors are encouraged to dress as a book character or in historic costume.
How old is the library in Queenstown?
Queenstown's library story dates back to 1876, when the Atheneum was built in the goldrush age. It became known as the Old Stone Library. Queenstown Library is marking 150 years of library services in 2026, and Wānaka Library will mark its own 150 years in 2027.