Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand, is in Wellington at the southern end of the Harbour, behind the marina. It’s the biggest building, so you can’t miss it.
It is worth a few hours and is a great way to round off a wander along the harbour precinct. It is particularly strong on important features of NZ history – Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), migration, the unique flora and fauna of Aotearoa and our often scary geology, with volcanoes and earthquakes.
Plus, there is the astounding Gallipoli display developed by Weta Workshop, complete with lifelike but oversized models of participants in the campaign, based on actual events. The ANZAC assault on Gallipoli in 1916 to try and force Turkey, a German ally, out of WWI is generally viewed as a “coming of age” moment in NZ and Australia. It is the basis for ANZAC Day commemorations today and the many war memorials you see throughout NZ.
