The Best New Zealand Museums.

The history of New Zealand begins with the arrival of Maori in the ninth century before the bloody confrontation with the British in the eighteenth century.

The legends and battles that have shaped New Zealand society are worthy of interest to fully enjoy a few weeks' stay.

Coming from so far to visit New Zealand without discovering its history and traditions would be a regrettable mistake.

An error all the more unforgivable because the fusion between the Maori and Anglo-Saxon influences has produced a unique and fascinating culture.

Forget the old dusty galleries! ent only the five best museums in New Zealand.

Some are free, others with paid entry, but to be included in the Kiwipal ranking, they had to be irreproachable in terms of content and especially not to be boring!

Of course, all these high places of Kiwi culture have audio-guides, guided tours, cafés and souvenir shops ...

But you do not need any help to know how to visit a museum, and I will only give you a brief description and practical information, like the opening times, addresses, rates, exhibitions ...

The first three museums in our ranking are on the North Island and the last two on the South Island. Honestly, between a worn Maori show in Rotorua or an exceptional museum like the Te Papa of Wellington, there is no reason to hesitate!

The Te Papa's mission is to retrace the History of New Zealand. Temporary exhibitions are open to any subjects and can be dedicated to dinosaurs, aerospace or even video games.

Conservatives have favored quality to quantity. Each floor is organized around a central theme, with wide aisles where the subtle lighting emphasizes the artworks.

Above all, it is the ideal place to discover the great Maori culture by admiring delicate artworks and exciting films.

Do not miss the sumptuous “marae”, an authentic Maori carved wooden house, and the canoe designed for a hundred rowers.

This museum will amaze above all by its originality and interactivity whether shivering in front of the world's largest giant squid, experiencing an earthquake, traveling to the dinosaur’s era or diving into the bowels of a volcano... you will not see the time goes by.

It would take several days to explore Te Papa Tongarewa, but a few hours are already enough to apprehend the culture of the country. If you are passing through Wellington (the capital of the country and a fantastic city), this is the best museum in New Zealand and a must-do visit!

It is essentially the splendid Maori collections that justify the displacement. Since the museum was fully restored, the Auckland War Memorial has the largest permanent exhibition devoted to the cultures of the Pacific.

It is enough to admire the prodigious canoe of war of 35 m long entirely carved in a trunk of a tree to be amazed. The authentic Marae with carved pillars and Tikis totems with incomparable finesse always surprise visitors.

If you have always wanted to know the secret of the All Blacks' Haka you will discover the meaning of this tribal dance.

Designed to remove the vital force of the opponent before a battle, the Haka is performed during the traditional dance shows that you can reserve at the reception.

The other galleries of the museum do not share the same homogeneity, but are very interesting anyway.

Dinosaurs and extinct species such as the moa (a three meters high ostrich) and the giant Haast eagle (powerful enough to attack the man) seem to have escaped from a Harry Potter novel.

Often neglected by visitors looking for blue skies after spending 24 hours on a plane, the Auckland War Memorial is a real must-do. The 15,000 art works exhibited justify the entrance fee at $25 (up to $45 with the Maori dance extra). A reasonable rate for a museum with quality exhibitions often renewed and whose only fault is to close its doors every day at 5pm.

Following successfully the spirit of the Te Papa of Wellington, the Rotorua Museum bet on quality rather than quantity.

Each ticket of this museum gives access to three permanent exhibitions and a screening of the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera (vibrant cinema armchairs will surprise and amuse children).

The major exhibition Nga Pumanawa o Te Arawa (the heart beating of Te Arawa) traces the origins of the Te Arawa tribe, the very first one to settle in the region.

The artworks exhibited are of a delicacy and a stupefying beauty. They are treasures (“taongas” in Maori language), whether they are made of wooden, jade or flax.

One of my favorite sections presents the Pink and White Terraces tragically buried during a volcanic eruption in 1886.

There are still a few rare photographs of these pink silica terraces where the first settlers used to come to enjoy the hot springs.

The section will also present the encounter between Maoris and English settlers and violent conflicts until a peace agreement was signed at Waitangi. It is an opportunity to understand the history of the country with its legends, its traditions and the clash of cultures that is still alive today.

In the same spirit, the exhibition “Ake! Ake!” Pays tribute to the Maori Battalion of Company B decimated during the Second World War.

The portraits of these heroic soldiers provide a link between tradition and modernity. A gallery of portraits full of emotions which deserve a visit.

On the other hand, the exhibition “Taking the Cure” qui présente les anciennes installations thermales which presents the old thermal baths has never been my favorite.

The museum of Rotorua was in 1908 the first establishment to offer thermal cures in the country before being reconverted into a museum.

You can overfly this part which presents the experimental treatments of the time.

But before leaving, you should definitely to climb to the belvedere to enjoy the most beautiful point of view on the city and its lake!

There are so many visits to doin the entire Rotorua's region, but its photogenic museum has become an emblematic icon of New Zealand and is an absolute must-do.

The museum presents the natural history of the Otago region, from the dinosaursto our contemporary era. First of all, most of the collections are free!

Of course, the Maori traditions are in the spotlight as well, and you can admire totems, a war canoe and a whole collection of jewels carved in pounamu.

The other cultures of the Pacific are not neglected, and the star of the museum is undoubtedly an original statue of the Easter Island, which was brought back during a trip in 1800.

The animal gallery (Animal Attic) completely restored in 2012 has about one hundred species on display.

And if you are not in a hurry you could visit the “World Collection” which is a heterogeneous gallery that exhibits both samurai's armors and Roman emperors' busts.

More original, an optional paying attraction takes place in a large tropical greenhouse.

The “Butterfly house” of the “Discovery World Tropical Forest” allows to admire thousands of exotic multicolored butterflies that take flight in the midst of orchids.

But it is mostly from its maritime exhibition that the Otago Museum derives its fame.

This is hardly surprising in a country with more ships per capita than anywhere else in the world. The fifty models of ships presented in the gallery will delight you if you are passionate about marine.

Ultimately, the Otago Museum suffers partially from the comparison with the museums of the North Island (especially when it comes to the Maori culture).

This is nevertheless an excellent choice if your trip is essentially dedicated to the South Island.

I always appreciated the atmosphere of the Canterbury Museum which reminds me of the film, “Night at the Museum”. I would be curious to explore the aisles of the museum outside of the opening hours to check if the artworks come alive at nightfall.

This museum is often accused of being a labyrinth where one searches his way through a maze of galleries. The museum has seven permanent exhibitions, so take the plan distributed at the reception, especially if you have a plane to take at the end of the day.

In this museum, old and new artworks do not always mix very well. The vestiges of the colonial past coexist with Maori culture and the skeletons of dinosaurs. We thus pass from very successful galleries to more heterogeneous ensembles.

Fortunately, the exhibition devoted to the Antarctic (located 5000 km from New Zealand) is exciting. Being a desert of ice, the fifth continent is the most hostile in the world, but penguins and sea lions living under Northern Lights have seen some adventurers.

The museum exhibition traces the adventure of the first explorers who managed to reach the South Pole.

Located near the Christchurch Botanical Garden, this neo-gothic museum has miraculously survived the 2011 earthquake that ravaged the city center. Access remained free despite the tragedy, and a small gesture would be nice if you enjoy your visit.

I am convinced that a stay in New Zealand makes more sense with a minimum of culture.

Contrary to the impression given by the dinner shows focused on folklore, Kiwi Culture has more to offer than only the Haka and warriors codes.

Whatever the purists, the museums of New Zealand reconcile the content and form. Kiwis prefer interactivity and you will not spend hours reading explanatory cards to understand the origin of a pottery fragment from the 13th century!

The Te Papa is the best museum of New Zealand and one of the most beautiful in the world, and you must absolutely visit it during your stay (it is even free!). Hopefully, the paid museums do not charge excessive rates (approximately $20 per adult).

In order to understand Maori culture, a visit to a large museum will often do.

I also consider that the practice of guided activities (the kayak in Abel Tasman for example) makes it possible to discover the culture and the History of the country without necessarily enclose itself in a museum.

At Kiwipal also we have our traditions and I give way to my friend Ben the Kiwi.

Expert on the culture of the country, you can ask him any questions about the museums of New Zealand.