Self guided online resources  

This section looks at how to get the most from Te Papa as an educational tool and resource: the ways teachers work in museums are different to those used in schools.

Come and see this colourful speed demon, an amazing example of ‘Kiwi ingenuity’ that broke four world records.

Check out this rare and amazing cloak made from the feathers of 20,000 birds. It was given to Captain James Cook in Hawai'i as a mark of enormous respect.

This outdoor exhibition, dense with the bush that once surrounded Wellington Harbour, has plenty for budding explorers, archaeologists, geologists, botanists, ecologists, and physical geographers.

See this painting by one of New Zealand's better known and controversial artists, Charles Frederick Goldie.

Felt the earth tremor beneath your feet lately? Te Papa’s Earthquake House recreates what it felt like to be in one of New Zealand’s most expensive earthquakes.

This junkshop comes alive at night! When the doors are locked and the blinds come down, a high-impact film screens amid an ingenious array of animated objects.

Is it a car? Or is it art? This once fully-functional station wagon merges two kiwi icons together and offers a challenge to New Zealanders’ views of what constitutes art.

This is a unique recreation of a sixteenth century wharepuni or sleeping house.

See spectacular, scale models of two extinct birds that roamed New Zealand some 600 years ago - about to fight, possibly until one of them dies.

One of four Discovery Centres at Te Papa, NatureSpace is a fun, interactive place for children and adults to learn about science and natural history.

One of four Discovery Centres at Te Papa, PlaNet Pasifika provides an interactive area featuring objects, activities, and stories from the Pacific.

Get close to a giant piece of pounamu (greenstone) - a unique treasure formed by the amazing forces that shape New Zealand’s natural environment.

Ever seen a bull like this grazing in the paddock? Check out this amazing sculpture made with recycled tins by one of New Zealand’s better-known Pacific artists, Michel Tuffery.

See the skeleton of a young male who was attacked by a gang, left for dead, and then tragically killed in an ocean highway accident.

Become a part of Te Papa’s genealogy by finding your heritage inside The Marae, a fantastic example of marae design using contemporary techniques to tell traditional stories.

Find out what it was like to be a migrant travelling to New Zealand in the nineteenth century - the days below deck, the disease, the hunger, the boredom.

Please note: This artwork no longer on display.

Explore this visual karanga that calls our visitors onto Te Papa’s Marae. This artwork is more complex than meets the eye and depicts the traditional stories of six female atua (gods) through the use of contemporary materials.

This elaborately carved waka was once a mighty war canoe on the Whanganui River, paddled by thirty warriors ready for battle.

The Tiger Moth was once a common sight in skies all over the world, especially during World War II. This 1941 New Zealand-made Tiger Moth hangs in Level 4.

This artwork is no longer on display. Take time out to reflect on this awesome artwork by one New Zealand’s best-known artists, Colin McCahon.

Discover the amazing world of old-time shopping in the Kiwi Corner Store.

Check out Te Papa’s massive collection of marine mammal skeletons.

Be amazed by the skills of people in Aotearoa hundreds of years ago. Come and take a closer look at this wonderful object.

Search the crates and boxes for dangerous foreign plants and animals that could invade New Zealand.

One of four Discovery Centres at Te Papa, Te Huka a Tai provides an interactive area featuring objects, activities, and stories from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Take a close look at the intricate carvings on this unusual piece of New Zealand history.

Maths and Art? Its all here! Three dimensional effects, wild lines of symmetry, rotating motifis which absorb and reflect light. Pacific Patchwork to appliqué and its called Tivaevae!

Was it really this big? Why has it had such a hard life? Come and immerse yourself in the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand.