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Plan your visit Whakaritea tō toronga

NZSL – plan your visit

Here’s what you need to know before you visit Te Papa – from opening hours to car parking.

What to expect at Te Papa

Map

Getting to Te Papa

Te Papa is at 55 Cable Street, on Wellington’s waterfront.

There are many ways to get to Te Papa.

  • Walk: It’s easy to walk from the city centre to the museum.
  • Bus: Most buses stop along Courtenay Place and Willis Street. Te Papa is just a few minutes’ walk away.
  • Train: It takes 20 minutes to walk along the waterfront from the station to Te Papa.
  • Taxis: Wellington Combined Taxis have a stand outside Te Papa.
  • Bikes and kick scooters: We have bike and scooter racks. Borrow a scooter padlock for free at the coat and bag check.

Read more about getting here

Car parking

Wide shot of the entrance to Te Papa from Cable St showing the road you enter to drive into the car park

Caption

Entry road to the Te Papa car park, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

Enter the car park on Cable Street, by Circa Theatre.

Park for $4 per hour. You can pay with cash, EFTPOS, debit card, or most credit cards.

At the entry gate, take a ticket or use your credit card.

View of the entrance to Te Papa’s car park, showing the ticket booth and boom gates

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Entrance to Te Papa car park, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

Close up of the machine that dispenses car park tickets

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Car park ticket dispenser, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

To exit, visitors with tickets pay at the pay station. Credit card holders can pay there or at the exit gate.

CLose up of the payment station at the car park exit

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Pay station at the car park exit, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

Using the undercover car park between 8pm and 7am? Press the intercom button by the closed gate. Our Security team will let you in.

Intercom at entrance to undercover car park

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Car park intercom, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

The exit gate opens automatically.

To enter Te Papa from the car park, walk through the gap in the grey wall, towards Circa Theatre.

View of the walkway towards the main entrance of the building

Caption

Towards the main entrance of Te Papa from the car park, 2020. Photo by Jack Fisher. Te Papa

Read more about parking at Te Papa

In an emergency

If the building is evacuated, red lights on the ceiling will flash in major exhibitions and in most toilets. Alarms will also sound. Hosts will guide you to the nearest emergency exit.

Rules at Te Papa

We have a few rules to protect our treasures:

  • Please don’t eat or drink in the museum. You can buy food and drinks at our two cafes, but please don’t take them into other spaces. You can eat your own snacks and lunch outdoors at the Amphitheatre.
  • You are allowed to take photos, except where you see signs. No flash photography or tripods, please.
  • Most objects can’t be touched. Signs tell you when you can touch.

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