Museum Of Nz Te Papa Tongarewa: International Visitor Entry

I came into Te Papa to check out the new Whakairo (carving) exhibition on the weekend and it was an amazing exhibit made even better by the knowledge and passion of the Te Papa staff. By chance I struck up a conversation with one of the staff (Robbie from Kāi Tahu/ Kāti Māmoe - please excuse me if I misremembered his name). He was so helpful and knowledgeable about the exhibit. As a wāhine Māori it gave me so much peace and comfort to meet staff who truely value our taonga and share their stories with the respect and appreciation they deserve. I had intended to briefly look at the exhibit but after an amazing and insightful kōrero from Robbie I stayed twice as long to enjoy the taonga. I’ve now encouraged my friends and whānau to come along and see it themselves. Thank you Robbie for sharing the kōrero of these taonga with me, your passion and aroha translated into your kōrero. You are a great kaitiaki of these taonga and an amazing reflection of Te Papa and its values.

Definitely worth a visit. Engaging, informative and the exhibits are so well planned. I would recommend going and checking it out.

The museum was a great way to spend half the day, the Gallipoli display was exceptional and would highly recommend this. The other areas were a great insight to the cultural heritage of NZ too

Well worth the visit , a lot to see , great that your ticket lasts for two days , great cafe , delicious food

Fantastic museum. So much to see and do. Lots for children and adults to play on and learn. Everything displayed well. Clean, cafe had good choice of food and friendly staff everywhere. We spent over 5 hours there and sure we still didnt see it all. Dont miss it when in Wellington.

We visited from the U.K. while staying with friends who live in Wellington. The museum is amazing and well worth the entrance fee. We spent the best part of a day here, stopping for lunch and later coffee, in the fan on-site cafe. What a fabulous place!

This is an outstanding facility, and is a credit to the people of New Zealand. The variety of exhibits and displays, all pertaining in some way to the history of the country, be it geographic, flower and fauna, peoples and populations or a variety of other topics, are all extremely well done. There is a considerable amount of interaction with the displays, so it’s appealing to a wide age range. Can’t say enough to praise the work and effort that has obviously gone into this project. Your entry pass is good for 48 hours, so plan better than we did and allow two days to immerse yourself in this wonderful facility.

A wonderful afternoon spent in the museum. Our entrance ticket was valid for two days, which is excellent since there is so much to experience. Definitely worth the admission fee!

Like any museum there are exhibits that we like and others that don’t interest us. The Gallipoli interactive exhibit for us was superb, we spent nearly two hours immersing ourselves in the rooms. The lifelike giant sculptures were simply superb and the stories of the persons involved whether in the trenches or family through their own words were emotional. Floor 4 with the various exhibits especially The world of Māori and The Mixing Room gave us a brilliant insight into the New Zealand culture and history. A must see when you come to Wellington 👏👏

Having been to great museums all over the world, I was expecting a lot from this one. It was rated as the #1 thing to do in Wellington I was expecting a mini Louvre. But was disappointed. $35 per person admission. No senior discount. Additional $25 to park. Very little food choices for when we were done. They said to plan on 4-5 hours & to return the next day. We were done in 3. No need to do a return. 2nd floor….. WW1 special exhibit was literally too dark to walk safely. And not much NZ history. Nature section was crowded & hard to maneuver. 4th floor had the best Maori stuff. 5th floor very little art Lots of sections were empty or closed.

Came here as part of our NZ tour. We selected to do the Gallipoli exhibition which was excellent. The information, the displays and the stunning large sculptures of real people were outstanding. This was a very thought provoking experience.

This museum is even better than the national Museum in Auckland. It’s large it’s well organized, and well worth a couple hours visit.

One of our main reasons for staying in Wellington was to visit the museum of which we had heard and read excellent reviews. Firstly the positives The international entrance fee we felt was reasonable especially as it is valid for 2 days The building is airy and there are plenty of seats to rest on The exhibitions are laid out clearly with information that is easy to follow . Good interactive displays and short movies throughout The Passport and Immigration exhibit was excellent . Gallipoli was the highlight. We spent nearly 2 hours in there alone. Amazing 'models' and moving film shows . Very emotional . The negatives 2 members of staff were extremely 'snappy' and abrupt. On level 5 at around 1045 we wandered in to look at the art exhibits. We approached a piece presented on a wall and stood reading the description. A steward(female, tall, dark hair) bellowed across the room...'get back behind the line' . Firstly when one is looking at displays on walls , the floor isn't in sight. Secondly, the 'line' on the floor had no signage to say dont cross it. Thirdly it is a totally inappropriate way to speak to anyone . At around 1pm we entered the Galipoli exhibition. The female steward (60 ish, grey haired lady) said very abruptly 'take pictures, don't touch' , she repeated this several times almost barking the phrase. Her whole attitude was poor .(Contrast this with a steward we heard 2 hours later who was greetings guests cheerfully, inviting to take photos and asking that exhibits please not touched..whole different manner) So, overall we enjoyed our visit but staff need to be reminded how to engage with customers.

What a find, what an amazing museum, even if you do not like museums, you must visit here, we spent the whole day in here and had the full experience The interactive AI with the headsets is an excellent experience it lasts about 20 minutes There is so much to see and do in here The exhibition about the Gallipoli conflict, it worth the entrance fee on its own, there is so much information both visual and interactive, the full size figures are something to be seen. I would recommend this place to every visitor to Wellington, if i had time i would go back again We paid 136 NZD Approx £60 for both of us If you are coming to Wellington give this place a visit I think this is the best museum i have ever visited All of the staff were friendly and helpful, there is a cafe where you can get lunch We had a great day in here

You could easily spend a day or two here with the amount to see. Luckily your ticket lasts 48 hours from purchase, which is handy. We started on level 2 and spent around 2-3 hours just there. The earthquake experience is a must and the Gallipoli exhibitition created by Peter Jackson was amazing although harrowing. We actually came back after lunch and went to level 4 to learn more about the Maori culture. We could have spent more time here, but we at least felt that we saw the highlights. There was lots to do there for children and it seemed popular with families.

This museum is one of the best I've visited in the world. It is full of magnificent art, stunning galleries, plenty of space to walk around in , great spaces to engage kids, and a very good cafeteria. If I had more time I would have returned the next day.

Very good museum - a lot of different exhibits, most of which are friendly for all ages. As an international visitor, I felt like the museum gave me a good overview of New Zealand history, culture, ecology, and geology, as well as some lovely modern art exhibits. If you’re a museum person, expect to spend a lot of time there. If you just like browsing, then you’ll also have a good experience because there’s both a lot of highlights called out and a lot of detailed information that you can read closely if you want. Most exhibits have a child friendly version or interactive experience. There are also a few specific child focused learning areas with an activity. The gift shop is reasonably priced and has a wide range of items. The cafe also looked pretty nice but we didn’t eat there.

There was so much to take in, it gets slightly overwhelming! For me, the highlight was definitely the Gallipoli exhibit which gave the story of the landing of the Anzacs through to when they left in a powerful way. Combining huge sculptures with artefacts and story telling was something every Aussie and Kiwi should see.

This was highly recommended by all our tour guides. We bought 2 tickets for international tourists and spread our visit over 2 days. The Gallipoli exhibit with the 2.4x human size figures were astonishing. The weta staff the day before told us how the were built. Terrific! And we rate this museum as 5 stars.

We were a little disappointed by this museum. We had gone to a different museum on the South Island that has a Māori exhibit and it was incredibly powerful. We found this museum to be a bit repetitive -- and sometimes it was difficult to understand why certain exhibits were included. It definitely had some interesting exhibits, but I was hoping to leave feeling like it left a strong impression.

Undoubtedly a good place to visit with a mix of natural world, mouri and art exhibits. The Galapoli exhibit is amazing and so well presented. As folks have commented in other reviews, very little on the colonial days save for a display covering the treaty. If truth be told it wrangles a little that international visitors are having to pay $35 each whereas it's free for others.

This museum covers everything about NZ - plant/animal life, geology, cultural history and art. There's a little bit of everything in the museum. The museum is well set up and has a number of interactive exhibits. Nice cafes to eat in.

Possibly the best museum I have ever visited - an afternoon wasn't enough to see everything it had to offer. The Gallipoli exhibition was extraordinarily moving and was interesting for the entire family. We especially appreciated that the mistakes that were made were not sugar-coated and glorified as they often are in Australia.

The museum was quite expensive considering the minimalist number of exhibits. I was disappointed that there were not more historical exhibits. And the coffee shop on Level 3 was dreadful. After 25 mins, we still had no coffees and I had to get a refund. 5 minutes is ok to wait, but not 25+ minutes.

We really enjoyed the diversity of this museum. The Gallipoli exhibition was just incredible, and we learnt so much. As Brits we also enjoyed learning more about the history and culture of New Zealand. We also had a great meal in the restaurant, which we thought was great value for money. We would definitely recommend this place, lots to see and do for all ages.

This was the first place I visited when I arrived in Wellington. The floors all have unique experiences and things you can see, including an outdoor bush walk. Easy access to the docks and Wellington Sign nearby too. Bought my tickets ahead and it was super easy to do so.

Dont go unless only interest in Maori - nothing to do with Colonal history - really disappointed art only maori. Understand why they are losing money. Cafe also not very impressive

What a great museum, although we didn't see all of it. The displays that we stood around queuing for long periods to see were good. I understand we visited during the Christmas break but surely there should be some plan for these busy periods rather than opening the door to however many they can pack in. As visitors to your amazing city I was happy to pay to enter Te Papa but then to compete we the locals (free entry) as they utilised the building as a child care centre. Maybe something as simple as a booking system during peak periods would reduce the numbers so all displays could be seen and enjoyed by everyone.

Spent several hours visiting. The museum has several levels of informative galleries about New Zealand history. Everyone who found out I was visiting New Zealand for the first time recommended I visit. I'm glad I did.

We enjoyed our visit here. It's a lot to take in, and the 48 hour ticket helps with that. We ended up stopping in 3 times over the 48 hours, it was a good way to spread out our time and really take in all the museum has to offer. Day 1 afternoon, Day 2, and Day 3 morning.

This is a sensational cultural and educational experience, absolutely world class. We visited 2 days in a row, spending much time in the Gallipoli exhibition which has been granted permanent status. This is an extraordinary exhibit. Other exhibitions also fantastic and wonderful to see the celebration of Māori culture and wider cultural diversity. Additionally all staff were incredibly welcoming, informative and proud. Anyone in Wellington should visit. Kiwis should be incredibly proud of this wonderful attraction.

What an amazing museum. The exhibit on native people and migration was informative and thought provoking. So well done. I was moved by the exhibit 'The Scale of War" about WWI. Anyone who thinks war is worth it needs to go to this exhibit and it will change your perspective forever. The exhibits (including those from the WAKA group who developed Lord of the Rings), the personal stories, the information on what happens when you are shot or harmed, were all incredibly done. There is no way to walk out of that exhibit without feeling emotional and realize how destructive war and violence is-and that is the young peope who suffer the most. On top of that, we met an amazing young woman from Poland who works at the museum and had a great conversation on life, the world, and how important it is to help each other and be empathetic. The museum is very worth a visit.

Wow! What a special place this is. Not only do you get to understand about the history, geology and ecosystems of New Zealand but the highlight for us was the Gallipoli exhibition. It really does hit home how many New Zealanders were involved in the war, their heroism and their sacrifices. To say we were moved is an understatement. We cannot recommend this highly enough to you. Do not miss it.

Fantastic museum, with lots of great interactive pieces as well. The outdoor greenery section was a pleasant surprise. Very educational

Best museum ever!! Our only problem was lack of time to see it all. We could have easily spent 5 days seeing and reading it all!

We are international visitors but did not do a guided tour. We spent a bit over 3 hours in the museum. There is so much to do here. The tickets are 48 hours and if we weren’t leaving we would go back a second day. We visited Rotorua and did the Māori living village tour and this museum really complimented much of what was shared. I strongly recommend visiting. this museum is focused on who populated this island and when. Who came and how, not just people but animals and insects, etc. So a very good view of who and what and the impact. It superficially addresses colonization and impacts, but leaves you wanting to learn more of everything. Which is good.

My husband is in the Australian Army. He was very moved by the ANZAC experience, as was I. We spent so long there we really didn't see much else.

The Gallipoli exhibit at this museum is amazing! The Weta Workshop figures really humanize all of the information and are so detailed and beautiful. We also enjoyed the nature exhibit of native NZ animals. The Maori section was pretty disappointing, as we feel there wasn't much information about the culture and wanted to know more. Its a good place to spend a few hours.

One of the best museums I’ve visited and great value for $35. The Gallipoli section was so amazing and moving. Also loved the Māori and Pacific sections. Earthquake exhibit unforgettable fun. Great cafe and shop as well. Definitely number one way to spend a few hours when visiting Wellington.

This is a must do experience. We were blown away with the Gallipoli exhibition. Will definitely return if given the opportunity. Looking forward to showing family back in Tasmania.

Excellent museum The Gallipoli exhibit fabulous Designed by Jonathan Turner (lord of the Rings) Interactive museum Learned about Māori culture

Our friend from New Zealand highly recommended that we visit here. We very much enjoyed the exhibits especially the nature exhibit. Bit disappointed would have to pay to see Vivienne Westwood exhibit.

This is probably the best museum we have ever visited, so much to see, so much to learn and so many interactive exhibits. We were there for about 2.5 hours, but one could easily spread longer there. The ticket allows a return visit the following day.

We paid extra to see the special exhibition if Vivienne Westwood jewelry which was very good and interesting but most of the rest of the museum was boring.

A private tour guided by Hana, beyond amazing. After the tour we were treated to tea in the cafe. The museum is huge. The gift shop was lovely. The war museum was also unlike anything seen before, also a must see. Highly recommend Hana and the museum

A top-of-list priority in Wellington - comprehensive and well-organized presentations of the central aspects of New Zealand's complex environment, history, and culture. International visitors can obtain free access on request at the ticket desk. At least a half-day visit for sure - the coffee shop is handy and restful.

Great tripoli war experience with figures 2.2x size. Many stories of those who fought. Also malori history and treaty.

The exhibits were informative and some were also interactive. Loved the military exhibit. Strongly recommend the experience.

We enjoyed our visit at the museum, there’s lots to see. Some parts are great for kids, almost like a science centre. As with many places we visited the entry fee is high. On the bright side your ticket is valid for 48 hours. On that note we returned day 2 and paid to see the Vivienne Westwood temporary exhibit….it was spectacular! On day 1 I didn’t feel like the extra spend but so glad we came back.