糖心传媒

Reflecting the diverse people, fascinating history and stunning places that make Auckland one of New Zealand鈥檚 top destinations, the city鈥檚 museums can鈥檛 be missed.

Learn about New Zealand鈥檚 indigenous M膩ori culture, uncover the story of the volcanoes that dot the region (over 50 of them within city limits), and take in the legacy of the city鈥檚 sprawling location astride the Manukau and Waitemat膩 harbors.

1. MOTAT

Best for transportation history

A regular outing for Auckland school groups 鈥� and also handily located adjacent to the Auckland Zoo 鈥� the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) spans linked by a that trundles along the lake at Western Springs. At the Great North Rd location, a decade-spanning collection of fire engines accompanies gloriously retro posters advertising rail travel in New Zealand. MOTAT's second location, Aviation Hall on Meola Rd, features former Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft and the world's only surviving example of a Short Solent MK4 flying boat.

2. New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa

Best for seafaring history

From an absolutely spectacular waterfront location in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour precinct, this museum showcases the country's maritime history from the arrival of the first Polynesian voyaging canoes over a millennia ago 鈥� the ocean-spanning origin story for the settling of New Zealand by M膩ori 鈥� to 21st-century yachting success in the America's Cup. Opportunities to include jumping aboard the Ted Ashby, a two-masted sailboat, or cruising gently on New Zealand's oldest steam-powered tugboat.

3. T膩maki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum

Best for M膩ori culture

Crowning the grassy crater of Pukekawa, an extinct volcano, T膩maki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum was opened in Auckland Domain in 1929 as a memorial to the men and women lost in battle in WWI. Highlights include the world's most significant collection of M膩ori taonga (treasures) 鈥� including a 25m-long waka taua (war canoe) 鈥� and an interactive exhibit about the many volcanic cones and craters that punctuate Auckland's unique urban landscape. From the neoclassical building's entrance steps, there is an excellent view of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Island.

4. Te Whatu Stardome

Best for understanding M膩ori cosmology

It's worth booking ahead for the Te Whatu Stardome's regular schedule of southern hemisphere , but it's also good to arrive early to check out this compact but surprising museum. Scale models and interactive Lego versions of space-going craft range from Sputnik 1 and Apollo 11 to the International Space Station, and there are framed front pages of The New Zealand Herald and The Auckland Star featuring the pioneering moon landing of July 1969. Integral to learning about how New Zealand's indigenous M膩ori interact with the cosmos is a display on Matariki, the M膩ori New Year, which celebrates the rising of the Pleiades star cluster in June or July.

5. Maungawhau Visitor Experience Centre

Best for natural history

Located on the slopes of Maungawhau/Mt Eden, the highest of Auckland's tupuna maunga (ancestral mountains), this often overlooked center tells the story of Auckland's volcanic field, made up of more than 50 extinct and dormant craters, which is currently on . Scale models reinforce how important Auckland's maunga were to local M膩ori iwi (tribes) in earlier centuries, both for defense and agriculture, and the center's 10-minute video is worth watching. Continue exploring by walking up to the 196m summit, then negotiating the boardwalks designed to protect the mountain's archeological importance.

6. Torpedo Bay Naval Museum

Best for naval history

Catch a ferry from downtown Auckland across the Waitemat膩 Harbour for a day trip to the heritage suburb of Devonport, then stroll along the esplanade to the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, the official museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The well-presented and often poignant galleries detail the country's involvement in sea battles and maritime conflicts around the world. Both World Wars are well covered, and it's fascinating to learn about New Zealand's emerging independence from the British during WWII. After visiting the museum, walk up the adjacent Maungauika/North Head to explore gun emplacements and a giant defensive battery installed for protection against a perceived Russian threat in the late 19th century.

7. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o T膩maki

Best for New Zealand art

With works by Gauguin, Picasso and C茅zanne, the city鈥檚 main art gallery definitely represents the European heavy hitters from the 19th and 20th centuries. But the greater appeal for visitors is discovering important works by celebrated New Zealand artists: bold text-enhanced canvases by Colin McCahon, starkly dramatic paintings by Ralph Hotere and historic portraits of M膩ori tribal chiefs by Charles Goldie. Even the gallery鈥檚 location on the edge of leafy Albert Park could be regarded as a work of art, blending the ornate style of a 19th-century French ch芒teau with an award-winning timber and glass atrium added in 2011. (45鈥�60 minutes) depart from the foyer at 1:30pm, and international exhibitions are regularly scheduled.

8. Tautai

Best for contemporary Pasifika art

Around 200,000 Aucklanders celebrate Polynesian ancestry, and the cultural impact of artists with family roots in communities originally from Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands is a vital part of the city鈥檚 arts and cultural scene. 

Opened in 2020,  presents revolving exhibitions and events reinforcing Auckland as the cultural capital of the South Pacific. Highlights focus on Pasifika-influenced art, music, film and performances, all presented in an expansive (500 sq m) gallery. The surrounding Karangahape Rd precinct is also worth visiting for street art and independent galleries and studios. Use the  to make a day of it.