New Zealand Maritime Museum

We booked the Ted Ashby sailing boat to try the experience and then walked around the museum afterward. The lady at reception was very kind and welcoming to both me and my daughter. She was friendly and made my daughter feel happy and special as a young visitor. However, during the boat trip, we felt like strangers—possibly because we were Arab international visitors. While we understand that we were new faces, we had hoped for a warmer and more inclusive atmosphere. Unfortunately, the uncomfortable feeling made me wish the trip would end before the scheduled time. I recommend that anyone planning to try the sailing boat bring some tea or coffee, a few snacks, and small games or activities for the kids, as the ride can get a bit boring—especially for younger children. The museum itself was informative, well-organized, and peaceful. The coffee shop was also nice, and the lovely lady working there was truly the highlight of the entire visit.

We had been here several times to visit the museum but Today it's our first time to book for the sailing. Even if it's winter time it's still beautiful sailing out in the harbour for an hour. Crew are all awesome. No waiting time. I did book online so it's easier for us to just show our tickets. We did enjoy an hour of sailing. Surely we will be back by summer time. I highly recommend Maritime Museum Auckland to keep kids busy during school holidays. You can stroll at the museum after sailing which is nice with an interactive boat on display in the corridor. My child loves playing on it.

A place to learn the early times of Maori sailing experiences & the migrations. There are canoes which were used and means used for whaling. You can also go for a heritage sailing vessel experience. All the exhibits have been placed carefully with enough information regarding them.

How incredible to experience that NZ was able to have these amazing animals in different countries. It was a feeling of great adventure inside the museum. You will definitely feel your inner child vibes again!!! My favorite was the adorable penguins! And those stingrays too! Come and visit here and have fun!

This museum held the most beautiful art I saw in New Zealand north island. Better than the art gallery and still fully immersed in the roots and story of the culture and history of the Island. Larger than you would expect. About an hour needed to enjoy depending on interest. Not as engaging for children as other sites but there are some spaces for children to engage.

We did the guided tour and had the pleasure of Godfrey and he was excellent and so knowledgeable we r so glad we had him tell us so much about all that he new was amazing highly recommended

One of the best weekend OutNAbout places. The immigration history stories are listed here. The sound of ocean calmed me down. Nice.

If you’re going to Auckland you should check this museum it’s gorgeous and amazing 🤩 i wonder how they put those big boats inside⚓️⛵️

Right on the harbor, this large new Maritime Museum presented the history of New Zealand Māori & Europeans on the water. There was a cafe and large gift shop. This museum opened in 1993 and houses the most extensive collection of naval artifacts in New Zealand. There were many exhibits, concentrating on: Maori vessels & navigation, European voyages of discovery, Settlement & immigration, Early coastal trading, Whaling & sealing, commercial shipping, piloting & coastguard services, Navigation &surveying, nautical arts & crafts,Recreation & sporting maritime activities, trades, and harbor &port history.

This is an amazing museum. Covers the history of sailing from hollowed out canoes to the Americas Cup. Recreated displays of what it was like sailing in different eras. If you have ever been to the air and space museum in DC, this is the sailing equivalent. Huge display of boats of every type including Americas Cup. I spent 3 1/2 hours there, could have spent even more time.

This museum was much larger than expected. Exhibits covered Pacific discovery, early New Zealand history and pioneering Voyages and their tragedies. Immigration and settlements and a tribute to Sir Peter Blake and New Zealand's proud history of pushing it to the limits with their relentless quest in winning and defending their championship of the Americans cup yachting competition. The full sized black magic yacht that won the 95 America's cup should not be missed and the story of the Enza New Zealand circumnavigating the world in 74 days by sail.

The cruise on the Ted Ashby is a very enjoyable outing. It is a lovely vessel and I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. All the Maritime Museum staff are most welcoming - from the reception attendant to the crew on board. There is a raincoat available for passengers and I recommend you take it, if you haven't brought your own - even on a fine day it can get breezy on the harbour. There is a very occasional splash of seawater also. I was fascinated with how the ship operated. At all times the crew were all totally professional and respectful. I found them to be considerate of me (I am old!) and made sure I was at ease throughout the journey. They ask passengers to help hoist the sails - I had a concern about having to participate with that, but they were very respectful of me from that point of view. They also readily answered my questions and made me feel most welcome. Well done and thank you to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The New Zealand Maritime museum is one of the things to do while in Auckland, New Zealand. It tells the history of New Zealand's maritime industry and everything connected to the nation and the ocean in vivid imagery. I spent a Sunday in late September 2018 afternoon here at the museum, just because it was a good thing to do while I was in Auckland's wharf pier area and it was nice to see the boats along the waterfront. The museum is interestingly placed among the urban core. The building is large enough and it's mission is to educate and expose the public and tourist alike on New Zealand's love affair with its maritime history and associated arts with the ocean. It is nice to see various artwork and exhibits that embodies the history of New Zealand, of the region, and to see how New Zealand's commercial activities grew over the centuries. The museum itself was certainly large enough to showcase what life was like back in the 1800's, when New Zealand was building a first world economy. It was definitely cozy inside as well. It was an educational experience here, as well as an enlightening one too. It was possibly one of the good times during my stay here in Auckland, but it was great to learn about New Zealand's history. I got to look at exhibits dealing with New Zealand's pre history with the Maoris and later on, the Initial contact with the European traders and explorers in the early 12th century. The museum is pretty fantastic and have basically absorbed many knowledgeable facts while reading and remembering what I had learned at the Canterbury museum in Christchurch earlier in the week. The New Zealand Maritime museum basically encompasses all New Zealand maritime activities as a nation history, and not just just North or South Island. Nationwide. The overall experience here at the New Zealand Maritime museum was very neat and definitely educational. I spent a good 2 hours here and left just before closing at 5pm. They open daily at 10am. The museum is located in a small nook of the Wharf area of Auckland's central business district. Can't miss it really! Admission fees are comparable for visitors, but it helps to be a resident of Auckland. There is no entry fee for residents of Auckland. However if you are not from Auckland, New Zealand, you are required to pay $20 for adults and there are cheaper rates for children and a family package. Entry fees helps the museum funds various projects throughout the year. I bet many international tourists come to this museum on the daily basis. You definitely can learn something fun and exciting about New Zealand's Maritime history. For the most part though, it was a good two hours well spent. I enjoyed many of the exhibits, including the art galleries and how they are transformative to life in the region and to New Zealand as a nation as a whole. And as always, The museum presents its exhibits in an interesting way and its thought provoking to help the public remember how it was back when New Zealand was just beginning to rise as a regional powerhouse in the 1800's. Reading about the maritime history of New Zealand open my eyes to what is possible for the future ahead. I would totally recommend coming if you are in Auckland New Zealand and want to enrich yourself spiritually and learn about the history of New Zealand. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A

As many times as I have been to Auckland I never once thought of a visit here, never thought it would interest me. Wrong! It's was amazingly interesting and very diverse. I came at 1pm and for an extra few dollars added the sail boat cruise. OMG this hour on a fully suited period copy was amazing. Manned by 5 retired Volunteer men, it was a trip high light. They explain everything and when the sail is set roam the deck giving insiteful commentary about the boat the city and more. These guys are delighful and make the Maritime Museusm and Aukland shine. There is full free WIFI at the museum. A must!

The museum was bigger than it looks on the street. It just kept going! The displays were a bit dry. Sure wish they had a tour or audio guide we could have taken. We don't know much about boats or sailing, and after our visit, I can't say we know much more. Sailing and the water seem to be such an important part of the history and culture in New Zealand in general and Auckland in particular. Just feel like we kinda missed the boat.

I found my way back down here for the first time in years recently. Every now and then I like to go around Auckland as though I was a tourist, and exploring all the goods that our fair city had to offer. I stood outside, and thought "would any tourist really want to go to a maritime museum?" The answer seemed obvious enough, but I had to go deeper. Walking in kindled childhood memories of coming here with my Grandparents and throwing up in the rocking room that is supposed to recreate life on an 1870's ship to New Zealand. Nowadays it lacks a certain level of realism, but the mannequins of passengers are still uncanny enough. There are heaps of boat related items here, it is a maritime museum after all. I guess if I was a tourist that was stuck in the downtown area, I wouldn't be too sad about coming here as there is definitely enough to while away a few hours.

The Maritime Museum is located right in the heart of the Auckland Viaduct, and is a record of New Zealand maritime achievements. It includes a fabulous tribute to the late Sir Peter Blake and everything he did for yachting within New Zealand. There are interesting interactive displays that depict important developments and events within New Zealand maritime history. One of these include a room set up as the interior of an old sailing boat, complete with cabin and bunk beds, that rocks and creaks as though you really are aboard a ship. Beware - if you get motion sick, it's probably best top avoid this room! The Museum also has rooms that can be hired for private functions, and also caters to youngsters by hosting school holiday programmes. It is also possible to partake in boat trips from the Museum. Bonus: There is a great bar and restaurant at the entrance to the Maritime Museum. I personally find this the best part of the Museum, but any sea-savvy person is sure to enjoy the Maritime experience.

I have always loved coming to the Maritime Museum ever since I was a little kid. There's something magical about walking around and taking in all the information about our wonderful sailing history. My dad's a keen sailer so every time we went to town we had to pop in. I remember stepping on to the big old boat outside and being overwhelmed by how big it was. You can even go out on this boat from anywhere between 15 minutes to z few hours. Such a good way to see the harbour! They have different exhibitions on so every time you go there's something new to look at, read, and take in. If you've got a visitor from overseas this is a must see tourist spot that really sums up the City of Sails.

A great place to visit if you have a few hours to burn. A very organized museum. And lots of interesting facts and artifacts on display.

Some great maritime exhibits and hands-on activities on offer. The museum is not on par with Te Papa and the likes. It is definitely in need of a bit of an upgrade BUT there's still plenty to see and do! My jaw dropped at the sight of Sir Peter Blake's America's Cup winning yacht, Black Magic (NZL 32) - how an earth did they manage to suspend this ginormous vessel from the ceiling!? The Black Magic wasn't the only vessel that had me awe-struck, the 76 foot baurua voyaging canoe from the Kiribati Atolls was breath-taking! Taratai was put together using hand-woven coconut fiber ropes. According to one of the staff, the canoe is held together by approximately 8 km of rope. That's not all, the Maritime Museum is the only museum in the world that has a working fleet of three heritage vessels. They are moored along the side of the museum. I'd love to go sailing on the Waitemata Harbour in each of them! The SS Puke is the tiny little steam tug that sails on selected Saturday afternoons. Auckland residents get concession rates - $15 per adult. Breeze is a replica 19th Century traditional wooden sailing ship. She set sail in 1985 to Mururoa to replace the Rainbow Warrior in protest against French nuclear testing - shiver my timbers! The old girl's quite the beauty but alas, not up for sailing at present :( The ketch-rigged deck scow is however in shipshape and Bristol fashion. A one hour sailing trip on board the Ted Ashby will cost an Auckland resident $25 per adult, $20 per senior/student, $12 per child. She sets sail 6 days a week. Anchors aweigh!

Ok I might be slightly biased with this one as a sailor and I have a real love of the sea but this is one of the best Maritime Museums I have ever visited anywhere in the world. Firstly you can't miss the Yacht outside the building guiding you right up to the quayside and encouraging you into the building, once inside you get to see some amazing interactive displays. History of vessels from Mauri to modern. The ability to view some of their vessels in the water and getting the opportunity to sail on some too. The staff are all excellent very open and knowledgeable. The hands on exhibits bring the whole experience to life and will keep children and adults entertained for hours. If you are an auckland resident it is a must visit location due to it being free entry as a tourist visit to experience one of the best maritime museums in the world and learn about an industry that is key to New Zealand. Of course my highlight was getting out on one of the boats and sailing in the bay. This alone gives these guys an edge over many other maritime museums. It is worth paying the little bit more to take that opportunity if the time allows.

So enjoyed visiting here, lots to see and displays to read. The time just went by so quick quick about NZ's maritime history and how it was integral to early NZ and is still a major part even now. It was a great hands on experience, one that I intend to return too again. For my the highlight was taking the chance and going out on the Ted Ashby as part of the museum tour.

I have walked past here many times but never really realized quite how large the museum itself is, and how fairly priced it is. So, looking for something new to do on a rainy Auckland weekend, I stopped by and am very glad that I did. The museum is filled with maritime-related artifacts, and many boats themselves, from very recent and very long ago. They have boat tours as well, and you can go out on the water for an hour or so for not much money...which I did, and was very glad to have done so. If you have done a harbour tour before, trust me, it's still worth it. And if you haven't, this is probably the cheapest harbour tour you can get. I spent 3-4 hours here, including the boat ride, and was never bored.

Being really interested in Maritime history, this was a really good find for me and surprisingly it is not that well known in Auckland itself. Many of my local friends never knew that this gem has been tucked away down at the Viaduct for years. The awesome thing is that if you are a Auckland resident you get in for free, otherwise its $17 for Adult entry, $8.50 for a child, or $34 for a family pass. The exhibitions here are really interesting, from the early story of New Zealand Maritime exploration, through to 'Blue Water Black Magic' - A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake, which even includes the actual 1995 America's Cup-winning boat NZL32 - Black Magic. My favourite by far though is definately the 'New Beginnings' exhibition which chronicles stories of immigrants coming to live in New Zealand from the 1850s through to the 1960s, which includes an accurate reproduction of an 1840s steerage cabin that actually rocks to simulate life on the sea, so dont forget to bring your motion sickness tablets if ye dont have your sea legs me hearties! If you want to make your day out at the museum even more interactive for $29 for adult visitors, $14.50 for child and a family pass for $58.00 you can even jump aboard the Voyager Museums heritage scow and go for an hour round sail around the harbour!

This place is pretty good, although I might have enjoyed it more than I should have just because it was raining outside. Fans of sailing will love it, landlubbers will probably tolerate it all the same. Give the "heritage sail" a pass unless you've got kids...all it entails is a brief lap around the harbor at low speeds.

This museum offers a fantastic view of both the Maori and European histories and heritage as they relate to the New Zealand islands. The museum is designed to step you through the 'ages' - first, a history of how the Maori arrived in New Zealand, some of their folklore of how New Zealand was formed, and examples of the boats they used. For me personally I found this section to be the most fascinating, particularly the history of the migration of peoples through from China, through south east Asia and the Micronesia and Polynesian island chains The museum then takes you on a tour of the arrival of the europeans; notable figures from the early days, and then a look at how immigrants travelled to New Zealand. There's a great section on the Americas Cup, and the yachts that were used in the New Zealand win of the cup in the 90's. There, so much to do here - they say to allow for 90 mins, but if you really want to spend time reading through all the exhibits best allow for 2 hrs. I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to get out on one of the sail boats. These are crewed by volunteers, so feel free to give a helping hand and pull on the rigging! Best to check ahead to confirm what time/s the sail boats leave, and plan to get there a little a little early.

I first came here as a kid as a special trip with our teacher, only four of us got to go, and it was my first time coming into the city that I can actually remember. I thought it was amazing. The boats looked so big and learning about all the history that sailing has was really cool. These days I still think it's quite an awesome place. It's a different place to go than the museum or the zoo or Motat, probably because it's not as popular or as common a place. I also like that it's a specific kind of museum. It's all about boats and the sea and sailing and sailors. I think it is definitely something Auckland needs to keep around because it really gives The City of Sails something special.