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RTW Trip Day #92: Our Guided Tour of the Te Papa Museum in Wellington
- andrewsco3
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 4
29 December 2025
Steps: 11,398
Today was the day we had all been looking forward to – a guided tour of the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, where Michael works. We were incredibly lucky. Michael not only arranged free entry for us, but also organised a one hour guided tour, which made the visit even more special.
The Te Papa Museum Guided Tour
Our tour guide Angela was Māori herself and she shared so much insight into Māori life, their deep connection to the land, and how that relationship contrasts with the changes brought by European settlement - especially to New Zealand's native wildlife.
As part of the tour, we even went outside to the Te Papa Tauranga Garden, where we learned how Māori use plants to weave baskets and how certain leaves are traditionally used to make medicinal teas. It added so much depth and meaning to everything we were seeing, and the girls were completely engaged the whole time.
After the tour, we explored the museum on our own. There is so much to see, but one of the highlights on the main floor was the interactive digital ecosystem exhibit.
At first, the huge screen showed a barren landscape with no wildlife at all. When everyone placed their hands on the sensors, the environment slowly came to life – plants grew, birds appeared, and animals returned, showing how human interaction and care can help restore nature. It was such a clever and powerful way to explain conservation, and the girls loved it.
I especially enjoyed the physical geography section, which explains New Zealand’s position on major plate fault lines and how this affects everything from the landscape (mountains, caves and volcanoes) to how cities are built to withstand earthquakes.
One of the kids favourite parts of the museum was being able to stand inside a room that simulates an earthquake, which was fun and gave a real sense of what living in an earthquake prone country is like.
We also saw a colossal squid that was absolutely enormous, along with lots of other weird and wonderful creatures from the deep ocean.
One of the most fascinating exhibitions focused on the ANZACs and their involvement in World War I, particularly the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey. It wasn’t a story I had heard about before, and the exhibition helped us understand the scale of what the soldiers endured and why this chapter of history remains so important to both New Zealand and Australia.
We also spent time on the art gallery floor, which showcased works by Māori artists, with pieces that explored identity, culture, and connection to the land. Much of it was modern art, so we had fun talking to the girls about whether they considered certain pieces 'art' or not!
After exploring the exhibitions, we popped into the gift shop, which had some beautiful souvenirs, as well the separate gift shop just for kids, before enjoying a well earned break at one of the cafés.
Te Papa really is an incredible museum, and it’s easy to see why Michael enjoys working there so much.
The Wellington Harbourfront
After leaving the museum, we took a short walk along the waterfront to see the famous “Wellington” sign – which leaves out the “I” – and the girls happily stepped in to fill the gap. There is also a fun playground located just a few minutes further down the waterfront.
For dinner, we cooked ourselves a belated Christmas dinner complete with roast chicken, stuffing, roast potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings. To finish the day, the girls watched another Lord of the Rings movie and are now even more excited to visit Hobbiton in a week’s time.
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