The museum houses a complete history of maritime travel in the area from when the first Maori natives arrived to when the English, French and others sailed in around the time of Captain Cook. There is a large section devoted to the native crafts which can be up to 100 ft long. There are also examples of whaling boats from the times when that was acceptable. There is another section devoted to the types of boats that arrived to colonize the islands. These are detailed, fairly large models of the boats used by primarily the English in colonization and bringing stores and sheep and cattle etc. Another section is devoted to the history of the America's cup. New Zealand presently holds that trophy and will until 2003 when it is next contested. This is one source of immense pride to the country. There are tour guides available at certain times and if you can time your visit accordingly this is certainly recommended as their knowledge of details will increase your enjoyment of the site.
There are lots of restaurants in the area looking over the water and we would recommend stopping at one of them for a snack and a drink after your tour. If you are interested in Americas Cup souveniers their is an Americas cup store on the docks. We thought it was expensive, but the prices of their products there were cheaper than anywhere else we found them in Auckland or elsewhere on the island.