Wellington Museum

Wellington Museum is a fascinating place located on Queens Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. It is housed in the historic 1892 Bond Store, a beautiful building situated on Jervois Quay by the Wellington Harbour. In 2013, it was chosen by The Times as one of the world’s 50 best museums.

The museum explores the rich history of Wellington across four floors. It celebrates the city’s maritime past, the early stories of Māori and European settlers, and how the area grew over 150 years as New Zealand’s capital. Visitors can enjoy a giant cinema screen showing films about Wellington, along with three special theatre areas. One tells Māori legends using a Pepper's ghost, another honors the memory of the Wahine ferry that sank in the harbour, and a third acts like a “Wellington Time Machine” on the top floor. In late 2015, a new exhibition space called The Attic opened after careful refurbishment and restoration.

Background

The Wellington Museum began in 1972 as the Wellington Maritime Museum of the Wellington Harbour Board.

In 1989, the museum moved to the Wellington City Council and grew to include more about the region's history. The building was turned into the Museum of Wellington City & Sea in 1999, and it became Wellington Museum in July 2015. Today, it is run by Experience Wellington.

Exhibitions

The Wellington Museum has many interesting exhibits spread across four floors of the old Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store building. One exhibit shows how the building looked in the late Victorian era when it was used to store goods.

The Maritime Gallery tells the story of Wellington’s sea history. You can see a full-size captain’s cabin and learn about Paddy the Wanderer. The Wahine Theatre remembers the TEV Wahine disaster and shows a short film about it.

The Von Kohorn Room was once the boardroom of the Wellington Harbour Board. It is named to honor Baron Ralph Steven von Kohorn for his many years of help and support to the museum and the city.