The Wellington Museum

For a complete, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic vision of New Zealand this is the right place.

Il Tongarewa Parkwhich translated from Maori means “the place of the treasures of this land” also called Our Place incorporates history and tales of New Zealand from its earliest days to the present. Everything is written in two languages, English and Maori.
Here for the first time I felt a bit of that Maori influence that I expected to find but which unfortunately has gradually disappeared and which is therefore now rare if not completely disappeared.

The museum is located in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington (specific given that I thought it was Auckland and like me many others), it was opened to the public in 1998 and in the first 5 months it counted 1 million visits which have not decreased over the years.
The main structure and entrance is located at Cable street.
Inside the museum distributed over 6 floors there are: permanent exhibitionsbars, restaurants, interactive games for adults and children, simulations, temporary exhibitions.
The museum has also incorporated an artificial outdoor area where quarries and local nature are reproduced.
The museum’s collection includes prints, clothing, fabrics, reproductions of Maori huts and boats, fossils, skeletons of dinosaurs and now extinct animals, a collection of historical and contemporary objects from the Pacific Islands and also the giant squid, or perhaps I could say the squid seen that it was a female, largest in the world. There are no others of similar size to be found in the world. The squid weighs 500 kilos and is 10 meters long.
You can spend an entire afternoon there if you go with their children I’m sure they will hardly want to make you leave after a few hours.
The museum is predominantly an interactive museum, there are games and entertainment that even I couldn’t resist.
I started with the earthquake simulation and ended with strange photos projected onto a huge wall to make my face look quite hideous New Zealand cultural heritage.
The museum is free but offers to support this ambitious and successful project are welcome.
However, for those who want a guide, they can go to the information point and join one of the many tours that take place every day inside the museum.
The two most popular tours are: Introduction to Tea Papa and the Taste of Treasures tour which do not require advance booking. Tours for groups are also organised, but you need to book in advance.
For updated times and prices I recommend referring to the page on tours organized inside the museum. Tours are held in English.
If you don’t want a guide but still want to know more you can rent the audio guide per $5.

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And “Must do” for those visiting Wellington especially if they are with family and children. Te Papa will become the amusement park to discover New Zealand culture and its ingenuity.

Information on Te Papa and opening times

The Te Papa Museum is open every day from 10am to 6pm and on Thursdays until 9pm.
Free entry
Wi-Fi free
Bars and restaurants
Interactive games for adults and children
Become a Friend of the Papa membership card – If you live in Wellington for $40 you can buy this card which guarantees discounts on events and temporary exhibitions