Clapham's holds the largest clock collection in the Southern Hemisphere — about 1,800 timepieces, mostly accumulated by Archibald Clapham, a Yorkshire-born Whangarei resident who started collecting in the 1900s and donated his holdings to the city in 1961. The current building, set right beside the Town Basin marina, opened in 1999 and was expanded after a 2022 redesign.
The collection ranges from grandfather clocks and 17th-century lantern clocks to the bizarre — a clock disguised as a violin, another concealed in a glass eye. Guided demonstrations let you hear the cuckoos, chimes, and music boxes operating together. It is more entertaining than it sounds; visit on the hour for the best of the chiming.