For visitors with mobility impairments

Visitors with wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and other mobility vehicles can easily most of Te Papa. Accessible areas include: 

• all our exhibitions

• our cafes and stores

• most toilets.

You’ll find seats in most exhibitions and along walkways throughout the museum.

The Te Aka Matua Reading Room lift needs to be operated by a staff member. Please let us know if you'll need lift access when booking an appointment at the library.

Hiring wheelchairs and mobility scooters

To hire a free wheelchair or mobility scooter for use in Te Papa book ahead by phoning us weekdays 8am–5pm on +64 (0)4 381 7000, or enquire at Coat and Bag Check-In by our main entrance. We're afraid if you ask on the day we can't guarantee availability. 

We have:

• six wheelchairs (two are not self-propelled)
• one mobility scooter (for use for a maximum of 3 hours).

Please note, only wheelchairs are able to be used inside the Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality and Gallipoli: The scale of our war exhibitions due to space restrictions – no mobility scooters.

For security, we require a driver’s licence or credit card when hiring the mobility scooter.

Need a scooter beyond the museum?

To enquire about City-Mobility, a Wellington City Council and TSB Bank project, contact Wellington City Council.

Mobility parking

Park close to our ground-floor entrance at one of five accessible car spaces:

• two uncovered
• three covered.

Parking cannot be reserved in advance.

Parking at Te Papa

For visitors with hearing impairments

Most videos at Te Papa have captions.

For visitors with vision impairments

We offer a guided tour designed for visitors with visual impairments, focusing on touch and sound.

Private guided tours

Caption

Visually impaired tour, 2015. Te Papa

Assistance dogs

Certified assistance dogs have the right to access Te Papa when assisting a person with a disability. Please ensure the dog wears the appropriate coat and carries a valid ID card.

Accessible guided tours

We can adapt all our private guided tours to suit special needs, and we have a popular private tour for visitors with visual impairments. You can also contact us to arrange an adapted education programme.

Private guided tours
Education programmes

Emergencies

In the case of an evacuation, our trained staff will follow procedures to assist visitors with impairments or special needs.

Contact us

For any further questions regarding your visit to Te Papa send us an email or call us on +64 (04) 381 7000.