Exhibitions

Current exhibitions
  • Mount Vesuvius

    Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4

    Unearth the story of daily life in Pompeii in this blockbuster exhibition featuring more than 250 priceless treasures.

  • Model of A Garden

    Sculpture Terrace, Level 6.

    Paul Cullen's project takes the concept of the borrowed view, in which surrounding landscape is incorporated into a garden's design, enhancing the vista and giving a sense that the garden is larger than it is.

  • A loss, again, by Ronnie van Hout

    Sculpture Terrace, Level 6

    Ronnie van Hout continues his work addressing ideas of the ‘self’ – how it is formed, and expressed.

  • Anne Frank

    Te Aka Matua Library Foyer, Level 4

    Anne Frank's tragic story has affected millions of people. See her diary brought to life in this touring exhibition.

  • Awesome Forces Exhibition entrance

    Level 2

    The story of New Zealand’s dramatic landscape and the part that earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the weather play in its shaping.

  • Blood Earth Fire exhibition logo

    Level 3

    How was this land turned from forests and wetlands to farms and settlements? Why were thousands of ‘alien’ plants and animals introduced and why did others become extinct? Experience the transformation with Blood, Earth, Fire!

  • Bush city

    Levels 1 and  2

    A taste of New Zealand’s diverse natural environment through a living outdoor display of forest and other plants set in typical landforms.

  • Corals exhibiton

    Level 3

    This exhibition brings to the surface some mysterious and unique coral specimens from the New Zealand region.

  • Golden Days

    Level 4

    Enjoy an evocative journey through a hundred years of New Zealand history in Golden Days - a wonderful junk shop that comes to life.

  • Hei tiki (pendant in human form), pounamu (nephrite), inanga variety, Arahura River, Westland. Sir Walter Buller Collection.

    Iwi gallery, Level 4

    Pounamu is a stone of exceptional beauty, strength, and spiritual presence. This evocative exhibition explores pounamu’s enduring value.

  • Mai i te aroha, ko te aroha

    Te Ara ā Hine

    The new installation by Lisa Reihana called Mai i te aroha, ko te aroha, meaning From love, comes love was commissioned specifically for Te Ara a Hine, internal entrance to Te Papa's Marae.

  • Mana whenua

    Level 4

    Beautiful taonga (treasures) and fascinating stories combine to create a stunning picture of Māori, the tangata whenua (original people) of Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • View of Mountains to Sea exhibition

    Level 2

    Explore New Zealand’s diverse range of plants and animals and their living places – mountains, fresh waters, forests, coasts, and the surrounding seas.

  • Judy Millar, Giraffe-Bottle-Gun, 2009

    Toi Te Papa Art of the Nation, Level 5.

    Te Papa brings you fresh and exciting artworks direct from the prestigious Venice Biennale 2009. Judy Millar's Giraffe-Bottle-Gun and Francis Upritchard's Save Yourself are powerful new works by two of New Zealand’s finest contemporary artists.

  • NZ Fossils Dead Precious

    Level 2 outside Awesome Forces

    These 50 fossils, including two giant ones, are like time capsules, showing our rich and diverse past.

  • OurSpace map

    Level 2

    Create your vision of New Zealand with this new, state-of-the-art interactive – mix it, own it, share it.

  • Passports exhibition

    Level 4

    The remarkable and moving stories of the people who have come to live in New Zealand over the last two hundred years.

  • Precious metals exhibition

    Level 6

    A toast rack made of boar tusks? From the bizarre to the beautiful, from raw metal to treasured possessions, Precious Metals reveals New Zealand’s gold and silver treasures and their fascinating stories.

  • Inside Quake Breakers

    Outside Te Papa entrance

    Te Papa's base isolators – go underground to see what makes Te Papa a safer place for people and collections when an earthquake strikes.

  • WideShut, courtesy of Uwe Rieger.

    Level 4

    Architects, engineers and designers are all looking for ways to save energy and make buildings more sustainable.

  • Signs of a Nation

    Level 4

    An exploration of the Treaty signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Māori – its history and place in New Zealand today.

  • Britten V1000 motorcycle, Britten Motorcycle Company Ltd, 1992, T000649

    Throughout Te Papa

    Outstanding individual exhibits, displayed on their own outside the exhibitions, that show unique or unusual aspects of New Zealand’s identity and history.

  • Tangata o le Moana

    Level 4

    From Kupe to King Kapisi and bro’Town, Pacific people are putting Pacific cultures – and New Zealand – on the map. Explore their stories past and present, from the battlefield to the sports field and beyond.

  • Tapa Pacific Style

    Eyelights, Level 4

    This exhibition celebrates the fine workmanship and beautiful decoration of tapa (bark cloth) from many islands.

  • The Colossal Squid

    Level 2

    Come face-to-face with Te Papa's colossal squid! Build a squid, and explore the life of one through computer interactives and a 3-D animated movie.

  • From the Caminidole Convent, near Naples, 1820s, William Brockedon, England.

    The Ilott Room, Level 4

    This small exhibition of watercolours and prints presents a visual record of European journeys made by eighteenth and nineteenth century British artists.

  • Te Hono ki Hawaiki, Te Marae

    Level 4

    Te Papa’s Marae (meeting place) – focal point for pōwhiri (welcomes) and many other special events – is an outstanding example of contemporary Māori art.

  • Rutu, 1951, Rita Angus, oil on canvas, 1992-0025-1

    Level 5

    Toi Te Papa Art of the Nation showcases more than 300 impressive artworks – both historical and contemporary – from Te Papa’s collections. Experience the richness and diversity of New Zealand’s artistic heritage.

  • Treaty 2U

    Mezzanine floor above Signs of a Nation, Level 4

    It took 7 days to write, 7 months to sign, 170 years to debate ... and counting. TREATY 2 U is a unique exhibition that tells the story of New Zealand’s founding document.