The Imaginarium

Te Whiwhinga the Imaginarium is a supersized new gallery for kids where learning is led by curiosity and connections.

Located just around the corner from firm family favourite Weird & Wonderful, Te Whiwhinga The Imaginarium's three new gallery spaces are home to elephants and earwigs, trees and teapots, alligators and ants. Explore what's in store here.

Asking the big questions

In each of the gigantic cases in Learning Base, awe-inspiring creatures tell stories of place, migration, family, and even how to keep cool. We've shown one way to connect the objects in these cases – can you think of more?

When you visit, be sure to greet Rehua, the enormous whale washed ashore in the Far North. Rehua's jawbone is a taonga of Ngāti Kuri and is on loan to the Museum.

He Putanga Taonga

Collections & Connections

What do a peacock and a kahukiwi (cloak) have in common? What does a moose have to do with an insect army? The Museum’s collections number in the millions, and every single object has its own story. Learn more about each of the seemingly random assortment of items from every corner of our collections using the interactive panel, and see if you can come up with some of your own connections.

Haumanu

Will you breathe for me?

The towering 9.3-metre-tall tree in the Imaginarium is Haumanu, and as children and adults alike follow its enormous trunk up and up, they'll discover the hidden designs in the canopy (and other surprises, too!).

Haumanu is an artwork created by artists Will Ngakuru and Nicole Charles. See how Haumanu grew from this tiny artist's model to fill up a whole gallery.

See Haumanu grow

The Learning Labs & Learning Base

Te Whiwhinga The Imaginarium is the centerpiece of the Museum’s AM Learn programme. Te Whiwhinga The Imaginarium offers a fun and fascinating introduction to the Museum’s collections by showing how familiar objects and stories can be connected in unfamiliar ways.

Supported by Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust and Douglas Goodfellow Charitable Trust

Auckland Museum would like to acknowledge Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust and Douglas Goodfellow Charitable Trust for the generous support of the Learning Base and Learning Labs to realise a shared vision of providing outstanding learning experiences and engagement for our Auckland tamariki.