Te Papa Tongarewa

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Becs
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Editor Pick

Our Place in Wellington - Great Museum

  • October 5, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by beckyX from Cambridge, United Kingdom
Te Papa Tongarewa museum ("Te Papa" or "Our Place" for short) is New Zealand's national museum and is right in the heart of Wellington next to the docks. If you only have time to visit one thing in Wellington, visit Te Papa. Many of the collections are online, so if you can't make it all the way to New Zealand, then have a look at the web pages instead. Originally dating from 1992 (or 1998 for the present incarnation in its iconic building), this is a modern museum suitable for children and adults alike and the exhibits are fun and often interactive, whilst still being educational.

Most of the exhibitions are free, but you pay if you want to go on a guided tour. Lifts going to every floor help with accessibility and are useful for everyone - the museum goes up to floor level 7, so we were quite worn out by the end of our trip!

The building hosts a mixture of permanent and temporary exhibitions, various cafes and shops (including a shop ostensibly for children but which, to my delight, also contains a lot of Lord of the Rings merchandise) and two flight simulators. Late night opening is Thursday (until 9pm) - other days it is 9am- 6pm.

The name "Te Papa Tongarewa" is Maori and, according to our guide, a short translation of the name meant "container of treasures", but apparently, this is only a part of the full name, which was much more complicated and related to the Maori people's respect for the Earth Mother and for their homeland. As with the rest of New Zealand, the museum is bilingual in English and Maori. Many of the exhibits relate to the rich history of the country and of its people. The other main theme of the exhibits relate to New Zealand's extremely high level of geological activity (it has many earthquakes).

I've been to Te Papa twice - once in November 2006 and once in April 2009, and so can recommend firsthand that it is worth going again even if you've already been - there were quite a lot of new exhibits that weren't there the previous time that I went. The most exciting of these new exhibitions was the colossal squid - it's worth going to see this alone. You get to see the preserved squid itself, as well as learning about its origin, how it came to be caught and how it was preserved. They have a fun film of it in a 3-D theatre adjacent to the exhibit.

My favourite bits that I would recommend that you look at are: the tarmac-fossilised possum (a bit gruesome, but children will love it!), the earthquake simulator, the Moa skeletons (extinct birds that had no wing bones at all!) and the basement display of the building's earthquake-proof foundations.

In conclusion, this is an excellent museum to go to, even for people who don't usually like museums. The downsides are that you can't take pictures of the exhibits and that it is so big you can't possibly see it all in one go and can spend ages looking for particular exhibitions.

Cross posted elsewhere

From journal Travels in New Zealand

Editor Pick

Te Papa Tongarewa

  • February 12, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by TLM2008 from Toronto, Ontario
To use a cliché in the travel review business, a trip to Wellington is not complete without a visit to the Te Papa museum. Translated as “our place” Te Papa is the National Museum of New Zealand and is an immense source of pride for Wellingtonians. You can easily spend more than one day at Te Papa, though being a resident-tourist, I visited on numerous occasions taking advantage of its climate in the more inclement weather. The museum is chock full of exhibits and features and is extremely well run. There is considerable program for children: story telling, discovery centres and crafts.

There is food available within the museum. On one visit, I relaxed in the nicer of the two cafés (Espresso) over a moccachino and rosemary and feta potato frittata (the Kiwi cafes always seem to offer up delicious eggy-type snacks and frittatas are particularly popular). The seating is comfortable, the prices affordable and the specialty coffees really hit the spot on a cold or rainy day.

Like any museum, there is a mix of permanent collections and special exhibits. I had the opportunity to see a special exhibit of Kiri’s Dresses (gowns worn by the famous kiwi opera singer Dame Kiri at various events, such as the marriage of Lady Diana to Prince Charles). On another visit I took advantage of the “Race to the South Pole” special exhibit. These particular exhibits, have long since moved on, but were incredibly well put together and are no doubt a testament to how well the museum puts together its collections. The permanent collections offer a range of information including displays of Maori culture, native flora and fauna and geology lessons. You can even visit an “earthquake house” which is quite well done. One production which I enjoyed was called “Golden Days” – staged as a junk shop where various items are highlighted and discussed, it offers a crash course in New Zealand history.

The Te Papa stores offer a fantastic collection of souvenirs, including a special Te
Papa kids store (fun even for us adults). This is a great place to purchase specialty books such as “Where’s Kiwi Kevin?” by Richard Gunther, a seek and find book featuring a little kiwi who travels to all parts of New Zealand; historical and geographical facts about New Zealand are scattered throughout. I also picked up one of the cute Bob Darroch books here “The Kiwi who Lost his Mum”. The Te Papa store itself offers a wide collection of items, including many expensive, though beautiful, pieces by Kiwi artisans.

The museum is open every day and entry is free though there is plenty of ways to spend money within. Besides the stores and cafes, there is the opportunity to donate to the museum at entry; or you may purchase Te Papa guidebooks for a nominal fee. Some of the special exhibits require additional entry costs but it was well worth the small sum when I visited.

From journal Windy Wellington

Editor Pick

Te Papa Tongarewa

  • November 18, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by UK Flower Girl from Market Weighton, England
Te Papa Tongarewa

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.

From journal Wellington: Last Stop on the North Island

Editor Pick

Te Papa Tongarewa

  • April 6, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by stomps from Houston, Texas
Te Papa Tongarewa

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!

From journal Whirlwind Tour of Wellington

Te Papa

  • September 23, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Tallulah_B from Brooklyn, New York
Te Papa

Many people told me that this was the must-see activity in Wellington. I think that if you are interested in the cultural history of the Maori, then it is MUST-see. It is also FREE!!! It is the national museum of New Zealand that includes a permanent collection dedicated to Maori history and changing exhibits that included New Zealand painting, the history of the shawl, and Italian immigration to New Zealand. It is too large a museum to really see in a day. But it’s a great place to get to know the history of the Maori people. It is located right on the wharf and provides a beautiful place to sit and watch the boats on the harbour. The gift shop, though REALLY expensive, has some beautiful Maori-inspired jewelry.

From journal One Day in Wellington

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