Te Papa is the national museum of New Zealand and is a wonderful place to spend half a day or more. We were so absorbed by some the exhibits on our visit that we completely lost track of the time. The museum attracts well over a million visitors a year and I doubt that any of them leave disappointed. Whats more, its free to visit.
Te Papa occupies an iconic location on the city waterfront and incorporates many of the features you would expect to see in a modern museum. I have never found the displays of death, in the form of stuffed animals, in the museums of my childhood to be particularly attractive places and as you would expect Te Papa largely avoids this route. Many of the displays are not only informative and engaging but are often interactive too.
The museum consists of six floors, not all open on our visit, which are dedicated to telling the story of New Zealand’s cultural, geological, biological and social history. Te Papa Tongarewa literally translates as “container of treasures” and I doubt there is a more apt name for a national museum.
We were particularly taken with the geological exhibits which explained New Zealand’s place on the pacific ring of fire and how volcanic activity and earthquakes have shaped the country. There is even a mock up house where you can stand and experience the feeling of the earth shaking beneath your feet. The biological area described flora and fauna and to course everyone likes a good dinosaur and this is one of new Zealand’s own. Unfortunately I forgot to record its name!
The most outstanding exhibits were those concerning Maori culture. They request that visitors do not take any photographs in this part of the museum and we of course complied. There were superbly intricate carvings on whale bone and in wood together with complete reconstructions of Maori dwellings and meeting places. It is hard to visit such places and not be affected by the richness of their culture and their sense of place and belonging on the land.
There is so much here and I believe that you could visit time and time over and find something new. I even found a display of postcards from New Zealand which I thought was quite apt considering the name of my website.
