what's on
on until 26 May
The Long Table - interactive project
Get behind the scenes. Observe and interact with our team as they tackle various design concepts for future exhibitions. Ask questions, tell us what you like about their ideas and what you would like to see included. Come along to hear them report on progress each Friday at 12.30pm.
Ask us a question or send us a comment about our Long Table concept.
one of the world's top 50 museums
The Museum of Wellington City & Sea has been named one of the world’s top 50 museums. In a list compiled by The Times, the Museum is the only New Zealand museum to make the list and is named alongside museum heavyweights like the Smithsonian Institution and British Museum.
Visit our Facebook page to learn more.
Sunday 26 May
Wellington Open Day
Visit the museum and enjoy some family fun for a gold coin donation. There are 10 pesky 'rats' hiding in the museum and we need your help to find them. Tell us where they are and receive a prize.
All donations will be given to the Department of Conservation.
opens 10 June
Te Upoku o te Ika a Māui
Step into the imaginative and evocative atmosphere of Te Upoku o te Ika a Māui.
Explore the unexpected and unusual stories of the greater Wellington region including the extraordinary hunting feats of Neville ‘Stag’ Spooner, the pioneering contraception methods of Dame Margaret Sparrow and the giant statue of the Virgin Mary on the Kapiti Coast.
Find your place in this mythical environment and engage your senses through the smell, touch, sight and sound of the many interactives. Or be hooked by the transformation as artist Sheyne Tuffery paints a giant depiction of the head of the fish straight on to the gallery floor.
Wherever you are from, Te Upoku o te Ika a Māui celebrates the creativity and uniqueness of the Wellington region.
Te Upoko o te Ika
Neville 'Stag' Spooner
Giant Virgin Mary statue
Dr Bonjean's Female Pills
Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, which translates as the head of Māui’s fish, is another name for the Wellington region. It refers to a Māori myth in which the demi-god Māui hooked a giant fish that, when pulled to the surface, formed what is now known as the North Island or Te Ika a Māui.
Wi-Fi now available
Free Wi-Fi is now available for visitors throughout the museum using cbdfree, Wellington’s free public Wi-Fi service. Come in and get connected.
Entertainment Book
Museum of Wellington City & Sea is pleased to be selling the Entertainment™ Book as a fundraiser. To buy one simply follow this link and complete the form.
The book is filled with hundreds of valuable 2-for-1 and up to 50% offers from many of the best restaurants, arts, attractions, hotel accommodation, travel providers and more.
now on display
Replica Crown Jewels
The replica crown jewels, which formed the central exhibit from our summer pop-up café, have moved to a permanent home.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received regarding the jewels means they're now on display as part of our popular Telling Tales exhibition - including information on the 1939 Centennial Exhibition for which they were made.
See the replica crown jewels, made for the Centennial Exhibition in 1939, on YouTube.
school holidays fun
Jack's Boathouse
Climb aboard the dinghy, man the helm, watch a film and step into a wonderland of curious maritime objects in Jack's boathouse - the fun interactive area named after the first curator of the former maritime museum.
Jack's Boathouse
Plimmer's Ark
Nestled among the boutique shops in the Old Bank Arcade is the original archaeological site of Plimmer's Ark.
The bow section of the Inconstant ship, bottles and other artifacts, and a 'pepper's ghost' presentation tell the story of John Plimmer and his ark.
screens every 30 minutes
The Wahine Disaster
On 10 April 1968, the inter-island ferry, the Wahine, sailed into a savage storm and sank at the entrance to Wellington harbour. Fifty-one people died on the day and a further two people died from injuries sustained during the sinking. This dramatic documentary details the tragic event.
If you would like to tell us your Wahine story or memories from 10 April 1968 please download our form and either scan and email it to us or post it to the museum.
screens every 30 minutes
Māori creation legends
Māori creation legends are told in A Millennium Ago - a dramatic 12-minute show with special effects. Learn about the Taniwha that created Wellington’s harbour and hear how Māui tricked his grandmother into giving him fire.
can you spot the rat?
1890s Bond Store
Step into a 100 year old cargo warehouse; complete with authentic sights, sounds and smells – including virtual vermin!
The Bond Store
Did you know... two time capsules are hidden inside The Bond Store. One was placed in the building’s foundations in 1891. A second was added 100 years later as the Harbour Board marked its centenary.
Telling Tales - Wellington's 20th century
Follow the timeline of significant events of 20th Century Wellington: when Cinerama was the snazziest new thing, you could ride an elephant at the Zoo, and 3693 bodies were disinterred to build a motorway.
Discover the stories behind New Zealand's nuclear-free stance
The 1913 Strike - War on the Wharves
Early Wellington
Find out what daily life was like in 1900s Wellington: in the classroom, at home, at work and at leisure. Pick up a telephone and hear from people a century ago.
Queens Wharf - taken from the roof of the Bond Store
