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.

Things to Explore

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

Things to Do

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

Things to Watch

Original video content from your Museum.

 

 

Featured content

 

Sparrow Industrial Pictures

Sparrow Industrial Pictures

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira houses and cares for a collection of approximately 50,000 Sparrow Industrial Pictures negatives. Donated to the Museum in 1982 by Commercial Photographers Ltd, these negatives depict images taken, predominantly in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, from 1945 to 1966.

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25 years of Online Cenotaph

25 years of Online Cenotaph

Online Cenotaph has been commemorating the experiences of Aotearoa New Zealand’s military service for more than 25 years. Online Cenotaph is a collection of data relating to Aotearoa New Zealand’s operational military service including personal, biographical, demographic, social and military information. But it is much more than a collection of datapoints.

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What did the ancient Egyptians ever do for us?

What did the ancient Egyptians ever do for us?

Ancient Egypt covers over 3,000 years of history. Over time there were many changes and developments in technology, some of which we still use today, albeit in a slightly different form. Here we look at some of the things that have come through time to us, including paper, ink, toothpaste, and hair products.

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<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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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.

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