If you are only transiting Wellington and don’t have much time to see the sights, this is one place you need to visit. Te Papa Tongarewa, "Our Place," is New Zealand’s national museum and it is FREE. It tells the story of New Zealand’s people and land through a variety of different displays. Many of the displays are permanent, but they do offer a variety of temporary exhibits.

Te Papa can be found on reclaimed land on the waterfront. It really is a lovely walk along the waterfront where the Te Papa looms ahead of you. The striking, modern architecture will catch your attention as soon as you lay your eyes on it. This area of town also has a plethora of restaurants at Courtenay Place and Cuba Street where you can relax your feet and your mind after taking in so much information. Better yet, break your visit up into chunks as to not burn out on it. That said, I am not much of a museum person and it kept me occupied most of the morning.

We thought we covered a large amount of the museum, but now realize that we saw maybe half of what there was to see. Many of the exhibits were intriguing with hands-on displays. For example, the Passports exhibit told the story of immigrants to NZ (especially Italian Immigrants). As you may know, Maoris are considered natives to NZ and all of the other settlers came from other places such as Europe, Australia, South Pacific, Asia, etc. This display tells the stories of different groups of people who migrated here from how they got there to what they brought, etc.

There are so many areas to visit I can’t even start to describe all of them here. They have a great website where you can find out all sorts of information about the museum: Te Papa
You will go away having learned something about the culture of the Maori, plants and animals of New Zealand, Earth’s forces upon New Zealand, immigration, sheep, and overall general history of New Zealand from its beginnings to present day.

The museum is open every day from 10am to 6pm and until 9pm on Thursdays. Entry is free, but there are donation boxes if you are feeling generous and would like to help with this amazing museum. Wheelchairs are available at the museum and most of it is accessible. Te Papa has special learning facilities for children who are especially welcomed here.

This is definitely a place I would visit again. I missed so much of what the museum had to offer. There is something for everyone here. If you don’t like museums, don’t let this one scare you away. Many people come away surprised that it is as wonderful as it is. This may be the only place you will see a kiwi bird while you are in NZ. You may have to settle for the stuffed one rather than the real thing.

I definitely have to say that of all the museums I've ever been to, this one held my attention for the longest period of time. The national museum of New Zealand, or "Our place," had a lot of stuff that obviously isn't in other museums, and all this stuff can keep you looking for many days without getting bored.

I went here for half a day and then proceeded to go back for half a day more on my return to Wellington. The best thing about the museum is that you can do just that--you can leave and come back and see a few more exhibits whenever you want, because it's free! Of course, they have a huge store that goes along with the museum, which is how they get your money.

But anyway, the exhibits were fantastic and ranged from Maori culture (with greenstone, paua, houses, canoes, artwork, and more) to the special exhibit on the 1970s! I wasn't such a fan of the "earthquake house" that you stand in while it shakes--I thought it would be a lot more interesting, but the ground just bounces a bit and you're done.

Of course, there are the obligatory stuffed and plaster animals, which was cool because it was our first glimpse of an actual kiwi bird. I found it amusing that they had a stuffed armadillo, being from Texas.

But overall, it was a great experience and definitely one of the highlights of Wellington, and I know that if I ever go to Wellington again, I'll go back, because I missed a lot and their exhibits are always changing. Also another plus for this museum--they are the ones who put together "The Lord of the Rings" exhibition that toured the world the past couple of years, and it is currently, as I write, back in the museum, with new props, costumes, and the like.

And when you are done with all the indoors stuff, they have an outdoors area that is supposed to highlight all the natural wonders of New Zealand, including fake glowworms in their cave roof!

The Te Tapa Museum is the pride of Wellington, being as it is the museum of art, history, Maori culture and the natural environment. Located at the edge of the water, it is a beautiful architectural structure. It is an extremely high-tech museum, offering as it does many virtual reality experiences. Specifically, there are virtual bunjy jumping, virtual earthquake, virtual sheep shearing, and so on and so forth. Virtual bunjy jumping is a tourist trap, but it is a fun one nevertheless. It started with you being harnessed to a steel structure, which is then turned upside down. While upside down, you see a video that mimics the actual experience of bunjy jumping. I actually felt queazy, as if I actually went on a bunjy jumping ride. Many people who get out of this exhibit do look green, as if they had just jumped a hundred feet. It's all in good fun.

The top floor of Te Tapa also has a good exhibit on Maori art, with a good collection of Maori masks and houses. Besides a newly created Maori meeting hall, which the artists carved out of new wood material, you can see old Maori treasures, including a fairly sizable Maori canoe. Although it does not rival the Auckland Museum in sheer grandeur, it is still a beautiful example of Maori art and culture. Admission to the Museum is free, although the virtual exhibits may cost you a minimal amount.