Get a personal introduction to Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand’s premier museum based in Wellington. This 1-hour guided tour provides an overview of the museum’s interactive exhibits, artifacts, fine art and natural history displays so that you can better explore the collection on your own. You’ll get a deeper look at Maori cultural heritage and colonial history with an expert guide who share insights and offers suggestions for galleries that might suit your interests.
60-minute guided tour of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Get an overview of the museum’s extensive collections from your expert guide
Learn about Maori cultural traditions, art and history
Marvel at the largest and only colossal squid on display in the world
See rare objects from the voyages of Captain James Cook
Spend extra time at Te Papa and admire the work of New Zealand artists and photographers
Includes admission to the museum and guided tour
What's Included
60-minute guided tour
General Admission
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
55 Cable Street
55 Cable Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
What To Expect
Te Papa Tongarewa is Wellington’s distinctive cultural history museum, a must-see attraction located on the waterfront in the city center. Enhance your visit with an introductory 1-hour guided tour, led by a knowledgeable expert who provides an orientation to the museum's collections.
Choose from several tour times throughout the day and make your way to the contemporary museum housed in a state-of-the-art building. You’ll meander through intriguing art and design galleries; learn the history of Maori and other Pacific cultures that came into contact with Captain Cook; view photography and natural science displays such as the giant squid; and come face to face with high-tech interactive exhibits.
Use your admission ticket to browse the museum further on your own. Stay as long as you like; one can easily spend several hours delving into the exhibitions, gift shop and on-site cafes.
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Small-Group tour limited to 15 people
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
Traveler Photos
See more
Reviews
4.5
72 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
0
0
0
0
0
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 72 reviews
Informatively
Christina_M, May 2023
Lovely museum. Guided tour is fast and informative. Can spend an hour or 5!
Cafe is tasty and reasonable
Outstanding Welcome to New Zealand
Steven_H, May 2023
Many cultures have a welcoming ceremony that is intended to establish interactions between visitors and hosts in the most effective manner. Based on the experience we had at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, we could not envision a better welcoming ceremony than to take a tour with Bruce Roberts, a Kiwi who shares his insight, passion, depth of understanding, and welcoming spirit infused with the central Louisiana accent from his early roots. Mr Roberts can, in the span of a few minutes discuss the anatomy and physiology of the colossal squid while pointing out its unique characteristics, the reproductive cycle of the kiwi bird, the migration of Pacific based peoples over the centuries, and the emotional impact of encounters with Maori elders in sacred places. He reveals the significance of Word War I battles to the identify of the people of Oceania on the international stage, the economic shifts in the relatively recent industrial history of New Zealand, the impact of the railway on the North Island, the linkages among Pacific Islander languages with other languages, and the special vulnerabilities of the people and wildlife in this unique environment. Spend an hour with Bruce Roberts in the Te Papa and you will discover or rediscover millennia of birth and life cycles from land formations to giant now extinct birds to carving, engineering, water transport, and music. You will leave with a sense of respect and appreciation for the land to which you are being welcomed, discovering new facts, new facets or what may already have been familiar, and maybe even learning a bit more about your self as your sense of discovery gets exercised to a rare degree.
Exceptional a must see
Tracy_E, Apr 2023
The guided tour was a must it gave us so much more information than what we expected. The museum is magnificent with so many interactive stations and the war section was very emotional and moving.
Exceed expectations
Heather_R, Apr 2023
The guide was very knowledgeable and presented the tour in a lively fashion with inside tips I wouldn’t have known , if I was self-guided. But I wish we had more time. I especially liked the art exhibition and the insightful animal explanations.
A must do in Wellington
Anastasia_H, Feb 2023
The whole museum was so interesting and so very well presented. Our guide was very knowledgeable and showed us all the highlights and gave us very insightful background information. Well worth paying for. After our tour we toured the rest of the museum at our leisure. The Gallipoli display was very well presented and meant alot to us being Australian.
Loved the background information
Sheridan_M, Dec 2022
My tour guide Susan was fantastic and because I was the only one booked for a tour I got a one-on-one experience. Susan was very knowledgeable and gave me a lot of background I would never have known walking around the museum on my own. The museum itself is absolutely beautiful and really well laid out and much larger than I expected. I wish I'd had more time to look around after the tour. I highly recommend this tour particularly for those who are interested in the lesser known historical facts behind the displays.
Absolutely fabulous. If you only go...
Victoria_A, Feb 2018
Absolutely fabulous. If you only go to one museum on NZ make it this one, but it is big so the introductory tour was invaluable. Basil was a highly knowledgeable and charming guide.
Excellent introduction to exhibits and...
BILL K, Feb 2018
Excellent introduction to exhibits and history of NZ
Very good museum but additional charges...
scott.howard, Feb 2018
Very good museum but additional charges if you want to see all exhibits.
This museum is full of wonderful...
Sandra S, Nov 2017
This museum is full of wonderful Maori history and New Zealand history. Our guide was very informative and after his presentation we were able to maneuver through this immense volume of New Zealand's history. The World War I exhibit is incredibly realistic.
Given the enormity of the museum...
Deborah P, Oct 2017
Given the enormity of the museum collection, and the time restrictions imposed by a meagre hour, our guide did as good a job as could be expected, introducing us to some of the key components in the overall collection. Nancy's manner and delivery were both pleasant and solid in the detail given.
While i was the, there was a...
Methuen F, Feb 2017
While i was the, there was a Gallipoli exhibit which was absolutely amazing to go through, as was the entire museum, a must go for an overview of New Zealand history and culture.
We took the overview guided tour and...
Kurt S, Jan 2017
We took the overview guided tour and would highly recommend it.Our guide was a wealth of information, with a fun sense of humor.
We enjoyed the tour we took which...
Yvonne S, Jan 2017
We enjoyed the tour we took which was an introduction to some of the key sights in the museum. There was sooo much to see and do and one could spend hours and hours there. Unbelievable that entrance into the museum is free. It was definitely time well spent in Wellington.
Excellent tour. We wish it could...
Catherine K, Nov 2016
Excellent tour. We wish it could have been just a little longer to have included more exhibits. Otherwise we really enjoyed it and had free time to explore the museum ourselves afterward.
Great tour! Within one hour we saw...
Matthew_R, Oct 2016
Great tour! Within one hour we saw the highlights of the museum and decided what we wanted to go back to. We checked out an exhibit we otherwise would not have seen and can't stop talking about it. Great way to see the museum if you're not all that into meandering on your own.
We paid for a guided tour, and were...
FrancesL_W, Apr 2016
We paid for a guided tour, and were glad we did, as our guide was very knowledgeable about Maori culture and the various exhibits. The Gallipoli exhibition was very moving, the bigger than life statues were truly realistic and the narrative very touching. We had three hours to spare, and could have kept looking about for another three hours. Excellent museum.
One of my favourite in the world thus...
Sandra O, Mar 2016
One of my favourite in the world thus far and I have been to a good few.
this was a great place to visit but we...
icmdly, Aug 2015
this was a great place to visit but we didn't think much about the tour
I've never seen such a well-planned...
Karen B, Feb 2015
I've never seen such a well-planned, informative, interactional, beautiful museum. Guide excellent, interesting, informed, professional, helpful. We spent 3 1/2 hours there and would have stayed longer, but too tired.
Compare Similar Experiences
1 / 2
Current
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa: Small Group Guided Tour