The Museum Garden The centrepiece of the Wonderland exhibition – a magical world featuring the flower inspired objects from the Museum's rich collections leading to immersive pathways that explore the natural and artistic worlds associated with the orchid.
Now showing — The Mystery of the Orchid
This is the story of flowers, told through two of our most beloved blooms – the orchid and the rose. Auckland Museum explores their magical attractions in a two-part wonderland of storytelling and sensory experience. The second part of the story starts in early December with The Magic of the Rose.
Nestled in the Museum’s Special Exhibitions Hall, this family-friendly exhibit explores the story of the mysterious orchid, a flower family that has ignited mankind’s imagination throughout the ages. We look at the complex relationships the orchid has inspired in both the natural world and the human realm.
Found in the world’s most elusive locations, orchids have evolved into some the most striking and devious flowers on the planet. Creating a world of deception and intrigue, they enthrall insects to do their bidding, and create “orchid hunters” out of otherwise sensible humans, who risk life and limb to track new species to every corner of the earth. Little wonder they’re described as nature’s tricksters.
Step into Wonderland and you’ll discover the Museum Garden, a magical world of orchid-related objects from the museum’s rich collections. Enter through the Natureor Art pathways and become immersed in the sensual world of this extraordinary flower family.
Wonderland: The Mystery of the Orchid is an experience best described by Lewis Carroll’s Alice: "Curiouser and curiouser!” And the exhibition is free for children. Don’t miss it.
