Wellington, the vibrant capital of New Zealand, boasts a remarkable collection of museums that cater to diverse interests, providing a fascinating journey through history, culture, and science. From exploring the stories of indigenous Maori people at Te Papa Tongarewa to uncovering the maritime heritage at the Museum of Wellington City & Sea, these institutions offer captivating experiences for visitors of all ages.
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of art at the City Gallery Wellington, showcasing stunning contemporary and historical works, or venture into the realm of natural wonders at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, home to captivating exhibitions on Maori culture, geology, and biodiversity.
Top Museum in Wellington, New Zealand
![Wellington (; Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara [tɛ ˈɸaŋanʉi a taɾa] or Pōneke [ˈpɔːnɛkɛ]) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.Māori oral tradition tells that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the 10th century. The area was initially settled by Māori iwi such as Rangitāne and Muaūpoko. The disruptions of the Musket Wars led to them being overwhelmed by northern iwi such as Te Āti Awa by the early 19th century.Wellington's current form was originally designed by Captain William Mein Smith, the first Surveyor General for Edward Wakefield's New Zealand Company, in 1840. Smith's plan included a series of interconnected grid plans, expanding along valleys and lower hill slopes. The Wellington urban area, which only includes urbanised areas within Wellington City, has a population of 215,200 as of June 2023. The wider Wellington metropolitan area, including the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua and Upper Hutt, has a population of 440,900 as of June 2023. The city has served as New Zealand's capital since 1865, a status that is not defined in legislation, but established by convention; the New Zealand Government and Parliament, the Supreme Court and most of the public service are based in the city.Wellington's economy is primarily service-based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, government, and the film industry. It is the centre of New Zealand's film and special effects industries, and increasingly a hub for information technology and innovation, with two public research universities. Wellington is one of New Zealand's chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city is chiefly served by Wellington International Airport in Rongotai, the country's second-busiest airport. Wellington's transport network includes train and bus lines which reach as far as the Kāpiti Coast and the Wairarapa, and ferries connect the city to the South Island.
Often referred to as New Zealand's cultural capital, the culture of Wellington is a diverse and often youth-driven one which has wielded influence across Oceania. One of the world's most liveable cities, the 2021 Global Livability Ranking tied Wellington with Tokyo as fourth in the world. From 2017 to 2018, Deutsche Bank ranked it first in the world for both livability and non-pollution. Cultural precincts such as Cuba Street and Newtown are renowned for creative innovation, "op shops", historic character, and food. Wellington is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region, being ranked 35th in the world by the Global Financial Centres Index for 2021. The global city has grown from a bustling Māori settlement, to a colonial outpost, and from there to an Australasian capital that has experienced a "remarkable creative resurgence".](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Beehive_Building_Wellington_New_Zealand.jpg)
Top Museum in Wellington, New Zealand
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Address: 55 Cable Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (22157)
- Phone: +64 4 381 7000
- Website:
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMTuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMWednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
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Embark on a thrilling journey through the diverse array of Museum in cities like Auckland, Wodonga and Gladstone across the Oceania continents, revealing hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re a local business or a multinational company, these cities proudly display a rich tapestry of profesional services designed to cater to a wide array of preferences.
The 10 Best Museum near Wellington, New Zealand
Weta Cave
- Address: 1 Weka Street, Miramar, Wellington 6022, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (3358)
- Phone: +64 4 909 4035
- Website:
- Opening hours:
Monday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMTuesday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMWednesday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMThursday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMFriday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMSaturday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PMSunday: 8:15 AM – 7:15 PM - Reviews:
2 weeks agoYou need to book in advance, and you can’t take photos during the tour as this is a working environment, where what you see may be in a future film! Having said that you can take pics around the front and in the shop, it is an amazing thing to do, the tour is informative and you can touch some of the exhibits, you can touch the swords of Lord of the rings, or the prawn suits from District 9. If in Welly and you are a fan of films this is for you.a week agoI loved the tour in Auckland, which was purpose built for tourists, but this is where the magic originated. The brilliance in creating special effects, props, creature prosthetics, weaponry and more was brought to life on this tour. Not limited to just Lord of the Rings, this experience is fantastic for any people who wish to understand what takes place behind the curtain to make movie magic. The #2 bus will take you almost to the Weta Cave door.2 months agoAbsolutely loved the place! As a die hard fan of Lord of the Rings, it was incredible to see where the magic happened! I booked the Weta workshop experience online (50$/p) the day before and there were only limited places left. Both the shop (the cave) and the workshop brought me to another world. It was amazing to see how the props and costumes were made, hold the swords and wear the helmets during the tour. The guide was great, very knowledgeable, very nice. Along the tour, many artists of the workshop explained what they did and it was very insightful.a week agoIt was an excellent tour and such inspiration for my kids. We loved all the movie buff items but were surprised to have the tour encourage young and old to embrace their artistic side and think about a career in this industry. Anyone who loves Lord of the Rings is going to be in love with this place!a month agoWhat an amazing way to spend a birthday! So many swords to play around with, uh, I mean, handle carefully and loads of other props to poke and prod and try on for size. Our guide, Tuesday, was very passionate and really made the experience.If you leave Wellington without going here, what was even the point of your trip?
Wellington Museum
- Address: 3 Jervois Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (2301)
Southward Car Museum
- Address: Otaihanga Road, Otaihanga, Paraparaumu 5036, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1520)
Space Place at Carter Observatory
- Address: 40 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1380)
City Gallery Wellington
- Address: Te Ngākau Civic Square, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.3 (1224)
Cable Car Museum
- Address: 1A Upland Road, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (1168)
Pataka Art + Museum
- Address: 17 Parumoana Street, Porirua City Centre, Porirua 5022, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (662)
New Zealand Police Museum
- Address: Royal New Zealand Police College Papakowhai Road, Papakōwhai, Porirua 5024, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (333)
Petone Settlers Museum
- Address: 130 Petone Settlers Museum, 160 The Esplanade, Petone, Lower Hutt 5012, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (291)
Fell Locomotive Museum
- Address: Lyon Street, Featherston 5710, New Zealand
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (180)
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5 Replies to The 10 Biggest Museum in Wellington, New Zealand
What a fantastic museum. We took over 2.5 hours just to cover 2 floors and will have to return to see the rest. The interactive sections were really interesting and, coming from a country that doesn’t suffer from much ground movement, we particularly liked the ‘earthquake house.’ A great experience all round. Thank you Wellington.
Very nice for kids and family. My favorite section is Nature, my partner ‘s is War and my son loves Dinosaur and geology exhibition. We wish it has an ocean and marine ecology exhibition with alive aquatic plants and animals. There’s only a dry specimen collection for that.
Overall, very good for kids ‘ education.
Free admission.
Great exhibitions.
Highly recommend.
I was only able to see the nature exhibition, unfortunately.
Great for kids. Activities throughout the exhibition.
It is one of the best nature exhibitions I have seen. Colossal squid on show, which was a highlight.
Great way to spend a few hours.
Good gift store with local arts and crafts.
We visited the Gallipoli war museum part. The self directed tour was very well organised, easy to follow and displayed pieces were amazingly realistic
The war commentary part of every displayed piece was very well done and made the whole experience very touching and informative. We were glad to have visited and thoroughly enjoyed the displays
Museum is free! Only the dinosaur section is to pay for. Also the car park is about $10 depending on how long you’re there for.
The best place to visit when in Wellington! We spent a couple of hours here easy! Up to 6 levels of NZ history!
It’s worth visiting the 1st level which has the nature and bush area and the gallipoli which has large realistic statues of the soldiers!
There is a large heart by the toilets of level 1 where kids can go inside to play around in.
The Maori, Pacific and refugee section was interesting to see!
I’m not a fan of art but it was so stunning seeing the large art work especially the ceiling!
On a Sunday you can look out the window to see the Harbourside Markets which is worth going to btw!
The cafe is so busy but the coffee was amazing! Good to sit at when walking around for hours! Although there are seating areas throughout also!
I would strongly recommend visiting the museum! It’s kid and elderly friendly!
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