Teacher resources for self-guided visits 

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.

Find out about our activity trails. Each one contains a range of fun activities to help you explore Te Papa and learn some amazing information.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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.