Te Papa is open. Visiting Te Papa during Alert Level 1
Kei te tuwhera a Te Papa. Te toronga mai ki Te Papa i raro i te Pae Mataara 1

  • Black banner with the words ‘Right here, right now, we are drawing the line’ on it, hanging on the gallery wall

    National Treasures

    See the taonga and hear the stories behind the TVNZ 1 series National Treasures.

    A wig from Auckland’s vogue scene. The headstone for Horse the Cat. A flag from Bastion Point. Outfits from Gloss. These objects all contribute to the rich tapestry of Aotearoa New Zealand. On display until 18 Apr.

  • View of the Rongomaraeroa marae, including the wharenui

    Rongomaraeroa | Te Marae

    All people have a right to stand on our marae, Rongomaraeroa, through a shared whakapapa and the mana of the taonga held in Te Papa’s collections.

  • Māori designs and carving

    Ko Rongowhakaata: Ruku i te Pō, Ruku i te Ao | The Story of Light and Shadow

    Discover awe-inspiring taonga (treasures), innovative contemporary art, and powerful stories of survival and tenacity from Rongowhakaata iwi (tribe).

  • Visitors in the Te Taiao | Nature exhibition look at moa skeletons

    Te Taiao | Nature

    Mātauranga Māori meets science in these interactive exhibitions about our weird and wonderful wildlife, our shaky land, and the innovative ways we’re protecting our natural taonga.

  • Composite image of a hei tiki, a photo showing a woman standing on a mountainside, and an octopus specimen in a jar

    Dive into the collections

    Explore 800,000 artworks, taonga, photographs, collection objects, and botanical and zoological specimens from Te Papa’s collections. Learn about different cultures – or your own! – or find inspiration for your own artworks.

What’s onE aha ana

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    Free School Holiday Kids’ Activities

    Free School Holiday Kids’ Activities

    Jump into the fun at Te Papa this school holidays with our free activities for little ones. These family-friendly events are for children accompanied by adults.

    Sat 17 Apr – Sun 2 May 2021

    Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

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    Gallipoli Tour: ANZAC Week 2021 – 22 April to 26 April

    Gallipoli Tour: ANZAC Week 2021 – 22 April to 26 April

    For a limited time, join us for a special tour of the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War.

    Tour He toro

    Book now
  • Entrance to Gallipoli
    Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War

    Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War

    This ground-breaking exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

    On now
    18 Apr 2015 – 25 Apr 2022

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Fluffy white clouds in a bright blue sky, with a red sofa in the shape of lips superimposed on top
    Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

    Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

    Surrealism is one of the most important and influential art movements of the 20th century. This exhibition brings Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s world-class collection of Surrealist art from Rotterdam to Te Papa.

    Opening soon
    12 Jun – 31 Oct 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Lockdown, one year on

  • Graffiti on a concrete wall beside a road. It says "Stand Together (2m apart)"
    Aotearoa speaks: Are we a team of five million?

    Aotearoa speaks: Are we a team of five million?

    Are we a team of five million? Hundreds of people recorded their answers to this question in the EggFruit, a mobile recording booth that popped up next to Te Papa in the last week of February. So what did they say?

    Te Papa Blog

  • White T-shirt with a black print saying ‘I am from Wuhan, this city is not a virus, I am not a virus’ and a picture of a face mask
    A year since lockdown: Collecting to tell the story of Covid-19

    A year since lockdown: Collecting to tell the story of Covid-19

    It’s been a year since Aotearoa New Zealand went into lockdown in a move to restrict the spread of Covid-19. During this month-long period people sought to process the magnitude of what was happening through creative expression and entrepreneurial adaptations. Find out what we’ve been collecting from that time.

    Te Papa Blog

  • Mural painted onto a garage of the Palestinian flag with a cityscape painted over top and the words ‘Livin in lockdown’
    Migrant and international student perspectives on Covid-19 in Aotearoa

    Migrant and international student perspectives on Covid-19 in Aotearoa

    In February we ran a workshop focussing on the Covid-19 experiences of people from international student and migrant backgrounds (including partners and family members). Read insights from the kōrero.

    Te Papa Blog

  • A face mask woven from flax muka on a black background
    Making Histories: Communities and Covid-19

    Making Histories: Communities and Covid-19

    Making Histories is a Te Papa project which aims to support visitors and communities around New Zealand to reflect on and share their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic.

VisitToro mai

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    Exhibitions

    Exhibitions

    Celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique natural environment. See Gallipoli through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders. Immerse yourself in a room of colour. Hear extraordinary stories from young refugees.

  • Children with facepaint on playing in front of flags
    Events

    Events

    Our exciting programme of events runs all year. Watch song and dance performances, join in with kids activities and cultural days, hear from our experts, and much more.

  • A mobile phone displaying the Te Papa NZSL mobile guide is superimposed onto a photo of the moa skeletons on display at Te Papa
    Explore Te Papa in New Zealand Sign Language

    Explore Te Papa in New Zealand Sign Language

    Learn about exhibitions and how to find your way around the museum. Discover Te Papa’s mobile guides on your own device.

  • A dispenser for hand sanitiser stands in the entrance foyer of Te Papa
    Te Papa Covid-19 information

    Te Papa Covid-19 information

    With Wellington at Alert Level 1, we remain open, with safety measures in place.

  • Te Papa External View. Photograph by Michael Hall. Te Papa
    Plan your visit

    Plan your visit

    Get directions, download the museum map, find out about our parking facilities, reserve a wheelchair, and more.

Explore Te Papa at homeToroa Te Papa i te kāinga

  • A New Zealand landscape scene with the Matariki star cluster in the sky
    Matariki: The Māori New Year

    Matariki: The Māori New Year

    Learn all about Matariki and see our events. Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

  • View of Oriental Bay, with Wellington Harbour on the left and houses lining the street on the right. A crowd of hundreds is walking along the boardwalk
    Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

    Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

    Take a moment or two to relax with online jigsaw puzzles using taonga from our collections. Come back frequently to find new ones!

  • A face mask woven from flax muka on a black background
    Making Histories: Communities and Covid-19

    Making Histories: Communities and Covid-19

    Making Histories is a Te Papa project which aims to support visitors and communities around New Zealand to reflect on and share their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Two people looking at the camera
    Raranga Matihiko TV – Home learning

    Raranga Matihiko TV – Home learning

    The Raranga Matihiko team and our Learning team have created 16 episodes, designed for home learning for junior and senior students, that weave digital technologies around museum taonga, and exploring kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection).

  • Waitangi Day activity book
    Treaty of Waitangi learning resources

    Treaty of Waitangi learning resources

    Watch interviews, download activity books and learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi and what it means to all New Zealanders.

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    The Current

    The Current

    Add your voice to The Current and help solve New Zealand’s toughest nature challenges. We’ll share your anonymous response with researchers via data.govt.nz.

  • Maramataka dial is displayed on a wall. To the left, a plant hangs into the frame. To the right, a taxidermied penguin appears in the frame. Under the dial can be seen an open book
    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    Print a Maramataka dial, explore its energy levels, and use it to plan activities with your whānau.

  • Illustration of a tattooed Māori chief 1784
    Tāmoko | Māori tattoos: history, practice, and meanings

    Tāmoko | Māori tattoos: history, practice, and meanings

    Discover the history and practice of tāmoko, and find out why the lines of a moko carved in skin represent much more than a tattoo.

  • Sailing vessel
    Voyage and discovery in the Pacific

    Voyage and discovery in the Pacific

    The history of the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand goes back a millennium and contains the stories of many fine explorers, from Kupe to Cook. Here, explore Pacific exploration and European colonisation through our taonga, kōrero, and events.

  • A kaka, a type of parrot with red under its wings
    Birds of New Zealand

    Birds of New Zealand

    Birds are an important part of New Zealand's nationhood. We are the only nation where the people are colloquially known by a bird name – 'Kiwi'.

  • Manuka, Leptospermum scoparium J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., collected 02 Apr 2009, southern Wairarapa, New Zealand. CC BY-NC-NDCC licence. Te Papa (SP087325)
    Māori medicine

    Māori medicine

    Rongoā Māori is the traditional Māori healing system. Ailments are treated in a holistic manner.

  • Green fence with a hand-painted sign on it saying, 'Give nothing to racism' in green and black.
    Antiracism and activism

    Antiracism and activism

    Articles on protest, decolonisation, and antiracism from our experts and across the web.

  • A man receiving a Samoan tatoo in Te Papa
    Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) meanings, stories, tools, and history

    Sāmoan tatau (tattoo) meanings, stories, tools, and history

    Pacific curator Sean Mallon and Sāmoan tatau artists Sulu’ape Steve Looney and Tuigamala Andy Tauafiafi talk about the meanings and history of Sāmoan tattooing.

  • Close-up of 1905 All Blacks jersey, featuring a brown crest on the top and a large silver fern on the left-hand side. The jersey is black
    The significance of the silver fern

    The significance of the silver fern

    The ‘silver fern’ (Cyathea dealbata) – ponga in te reo Māori – is a species of tree fern only found in New Zealand, and as such has become a potent symbol.

  • Kete whakairo (patterned bag), 1800-1833, New Zealand, maker unknown. Purchased 1977. Te Papa (ME013967)
    Māori weaving

    Māori weaving

    Learn about the goddess of te whare pora (the house of weaving) and the different types of weaving that are important in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Get involved Whakaeke mai