Your Museum

Auckland Museum at Home

Experience some of the best parts of Tāmaki Paenga Hira right here. Watch how volcanoes are made, make native birds come alive in a puzzle, deep dive into one of our blogs or discover some fun and educational activities to entertain the kids. Spend some time with us online today. Our collections are here for you to explore.

 

We regularly update this page with new videos, blog posts and children's activities, so keep coming back to see what’s new.

Things to Read

Long reads, short reads, and everything in between.

Research
LEARN ABOUT OUR CURRENT MAHI

Research
Long Reads
TAKE A DEEP DIVE

Long Reads
Short Reads
BITESIZE BLOGS

Short Reads

Things to Explore

Discover all sorts of fascinating things, just see what takes your fancy.

Get the exhibition experience at home
VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS

Get the exhibition experience at home
Take a wander round the Museum, past and present
VIRTUAL TOURS

Take a wander round the Museum, past and present
Explore over 1 million records
COLLECTIONS ONLINE

Explore over 1 million records

Fascinating stories of service
NEW ZEALAND AT WAR

Fascinating stories of service
Discover one of Aotearoa's most precious taonga
TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI

Discover one of Aotearoa's most precious taonga
Celebrate unique cultures through our collections
PACIFIC LANGUAGE WEEKS

Celebrate unique cultures through our collections
Unpack our engaging learning kits
LEARNING RESOURCES

Unpack our engaging learning kits

Remember New Zealand's service personnel
ONLINE CENOTAPH

Remember New Zealand's service personnel

Things to Do

Keep the kids entertained or explore our collections through jigsaw puzzles.

For the Kids
KIDS ACTIVITIES

For the Kids
Jigsaw Puzzles
A PIECE-FUL ACTIVITY

Jigsaw Puzzles
3D Models
SKETCHFAB

3D Models

Things to Watch

Original video content from your Museum.

Experts Series
GO BEHIND THE SCENES

Experts Series
Video Collections
YOUR MUSEUM COME ALIVE

Video Collections
Keepsafes
CARE FOR YOUR TAONGA AT HOME

Keepsafes
Archaeology Week
DIG DEEPER WITH OUR EXPERTS

Archaeology Week

 

 

Featured content

 

<big>Secrets of the Sea</big>

Secrets of the Sea

The oceans of Aotearoa are full of wonder, magic, mystery and awe. Hidden beneath the waves are some of the most fascinating and unique creatures in New Zealand, all with remarkable stories to tell. 

Following on from the bestselling The Meaning of Trees, Natural Sciences Assistant Curator Robert Vennell has released his new book Secrets of the Sea.

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The Mystery of Auckland Museum's Rooftop Residents

The Mystery of Auckland Museum's Rooftop Residents

When you think of a Tuatara's natural habitat, a war memorial museum is probably the last place that comes to mind. In this blog, Grace Yee, Collection Technician for the IDEA project shares with us the peculiar story of Auckland Museum's rooftop tuatara, who lived on top of the Museum until the mid 1940s.

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<big>Unique to your Museum</big>

Unique to your Museum

There are over 4 million items in our collection, but every item has an individual story and particular significance. Below we're shining a spotlight on some our more unique items, presented by those who know the collections best. 

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<big>Sharks: Reality bites</big>

Sharks: Reality bites

As summer arrives, the perceived threat of sharks is once again being brought into our collective consciousness. But are sharks really a threat to you, or do they just have a case of bad PR?

Auckland Museum’s new shark-damaged surfboard tells a curious story of our misguided fears about the species and acts as a starting point for exploring opposing perspectives.

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How well do you really know Tāmaki Makaurau?
SHIFTING GROUNDS

How well do you really know Tāmaki Makaurau?

They’re places Aucklanders, and indeed New Zealanders, know well. But overriding narratives about their history don’t tell us the full story.

Curator, History Lucy Mackintosh unearths the deeper and complex histories of our city in her new book, Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

LEARN MORE

This is big
MĀNGERE KAAWA FORMATION FOSSILS

This is big

It began as an infrastructure project, but it is now also a project to uncover who inhabited Auckland’s seas and forests 3.5 million years ago.

We’ve partnered with Watercare’s Central Interceptor project and are in conversation with the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Managers Forum, to collect, identify, care for and research fossils recently discovered during the excavation of the Central Interceptor main shaft at Greenwood Road, Māngere. This project is one for the history books - some of the fossils are species that are new, previously unknown to science.

Check out the latest updates and exciting new developments on our dedicated page.

LEARN MORE

What we’re excited to see again
THINGS TO READ

What we’re excited to see again

Who better to advise you on some of the best things to see at the Museum than the very people who know our displays most intimately?

We asked our curators what Collection items they're most excited to see again when the Museum reopens, to help you prepare the perfect must-see list.

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Partnership leads to world-first for indigenous naming
THINGS TO READ

Partnership leads to world-first for indigenous naming

Biodiversity scientists from the Museum and the California Academy of Sciences worked with Ngātiwai kaumātua to name a new species of pygmy pipehorse. This is the first time an indigenous group has been formally listed as the naming authority of a new species of animal.

 

Image: Irene Middleton, seacologynz.com

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What's on the bookshelves of Museum staff?
THINGS TO READ

What's on the bookshelves of Museum staff?

Take a look at the eclectic collections of some of Aotearoa's biggest book lovers. Find out what books they'd recommend adding to your collection.

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Sea Monsters at your place
FOR THE KIDS

Sea Monsters at your place

Although you can't bring the kids to Auckland Museum to see the Sea Monsters exhibition anymore, you can take them on a journey of discovery via this page of Sea Monsters activities, videos and more.

dive in!

Explore the Sir Edmund Hillary Archive
AN INCREDIBLE LIFE IN PHOTOS

Explore the Sir Edmund Hillary Archive

Delve into the vast Hillary Pictorial Archive, featuring more than 7,000 photos from Sir Edmund Hillary’s personal collection. These provide a first-hand record of his world-famous international expeditions and of his family life.

View collection