The Woolshed is the central display building of the Museum of Waiheke. Built in 1998–1999, the New Woolshed replaced the old one which tragically burnt to the ground on 18 July 1997, destroying all its irreplaceable displays. The old Woolshed, dating from the 1920s, had been gifted to the Waiheke Island Historical Society in 1987. The Waiheke County Council then leased the half-hectare of land surrounding the woolshed to the Historical Society for $1 per year, for the purpose of establishing a historical village there. see