The Firth Tower stands at the edge of Matamata on the road out to Tauranga. It is a square three-storey concrete tower with crenellated battlements, built in 1882 by Josiah Clifton Firth, the original European owner of the Matamata estate. The tower looks out of place — there is nothing else quite like it in New Zealand — and it has been preserved along with a cluster of relocated historic buildings as the Firth Tower Museum.
The grounds include a one-room school house, a church, a jail, a homestead, and a working blacksmith. Open most days; small admission charge. Allow an hour. Best combined with Hobbiton if you have a free afternoon.