1900 - Gifts of objects to the Whangarei Borough Council date back to early 1900.

1903 - However display of such objects was not possible until 1930, when some specimen cases were permitted in the reading room of the Public Library. Over the years a number of photographs of "Borough identities" were collected along with war trophies, "a case or two of fine birds", kauri gum, shells and petrified wood.

1934 – By now the Whangarei Museum occupied a room in the Municipal building on Bank Street, and William McKenzie Fraser was appointed as the Curator. Talk of expanding the collection is recorded in Council minutes "to ensure that it's (Whangarei’s) museum receive as many materials as possible of the district’s curios, history, art, resources and priceless things bequeathed." It was suggested that the new library might include a museum. This did not happen.

1939 - There were complaints about the neglected state of the museum - no curator or care, no acknowledgement of gifts and curios on the floor.

1940 - In December, the Whangarei Borough Council appointed Miss E.K. Pickmere as Museum Curator for an honorarium of 50 pounds. Displays were arranged in the municipal building and lectures for school children were begun. Steadily the dilapidated collection moved away from being a dirty, musty collection of objects with no connected story.

1951 - A separate museum building to house the collection did not find favour with Councils of the day. The museum collection was put into storage in the basement of the old library cottage in Cafler Park; the space it formerly occupied being turned into offices.

1956 - The floods of 1956 threatened the museum collection, so it was moved to the Plaisted property in Rust Lane. This house had been acquired by the Borough for the museum and renovated at considerable cost. During this time the Library Committee was responsible for the museum. In exchange for a small annual grant assistance and advice was received from the Auckland Institute and Museum.

1960 - In April the Matakohe Transport Preservation League approached the Whangarei Borough Council over the disposal of their old time transport collection. While the Council was sympathetic towards the notion of keeping the collection in Northland, it felt financing was beyond them, and success would be more likely in a larger centre. That collection became the nucleus of MOTAT in Auckland.

1967 - Part-time Curator Mrs Mardon achieved notable increases in visitor numbers and a record of success. Her work was continued by Mr J Donnelly whose interest in anthropology led to permanent and temporary displays of local interest and collections which were received at a faster rate than they could be "authenticated, reconditioned, labeled and catalogued." By 1967 Plaisted House was labeled a 'fire hazard.' A Northern Museums Trust was mooted and got underway with support throughout the north.

1970 - the Northland Regional Museum Society was founded and incorporated, but with no premises

1973 - The City Council resolved that the museum be placed in recess, exhibits were again stored, some privately and others in the building on the corner of Dent and James St near the Hatea River. Plaisted House was demolished to make way for the new Civic Centre. Increasingly the legislated amount paid to the Auckland Museum was seen as a financial burden, and became the impetus for Northland’s own museum. In February 1973, the Northland Regional Museum Society finalised purchase of the 56 acre Clarke property from Basil Clarke, the 3rd generation of a Scottish immigrant family. The Clarke’s homestead ‘Glorat’ is an authentic kauri villa listed with the NZ Historic Places Trust, still on site as a visitor attraction today.

1974 - A separate display building was seen as an immediate necessity and local engineer Don Dunning was engaged. Dunning’s plans featuring the wagon shaped building and curved roof were made public in September.

1976 - Three rooms of Glorat were opened to the public as the first museum.

1979 - Finally a fundraising campaign led by R.K. Trimmer was successful in providing sufficient funds for building to take place. At the same time the name Heritage Park was first associated with the site. The foundation stone for the new building was laid in July, by the Honourable D.H. Hyett, Minster of Internal Affairs.

1983 - Documentation of the District Council collection has been gradually incorporated into the system set up for the Northland Regional Museum.

1984 - The building was completed and the Gallery opened in March.

2001 - The society’s constitution was revised.

2003 - A new Board of Governors was elected in September, recruiting a new Director Anne Neill in November 2003.

Live Days - originally inspired by long time stalwarts of the park the late Dick Stirling, Vern Fairbrother and Jum Hill. Their passion was to keep alive the skills of early farmers and the history of the timber industry in the Whangarei District.

Enthusiastically they set about establishing teams of Clydesdale horses and bullocks, rebuilt wagons, and setup displays such as milking a cow in a hand-bale, hay-making with a horse, stacker and stationary hay baler, kauri log pulling.

Since the late 1970s Live Days have become an institution at Heritage Park.