Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery

Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery. Open from 10am to 5pm every day (except 25 December). General admission is free.

03/06/2026

🐧 Just two days to go until the Penguin Party! Have you got your tickets yet? 🐧

Join us this Friday for an after-hours celebration of Waikato’s most famous ancient bird - the Kaawhia Giant Penguin. Be among the first to experience our brand-new giant penguin interactive, get hands-on with real fossils, create your own fossil-inspired artwork, and enjoy a night of penguin-themed fun for the whole whaanau.

From fossil discoveries and microscopes to penguin races and crafty creations, there’s something for curious minds of all ages.

🎟 Tickets are available online now: https://tewharetaonga.nz/whats-on/events/penguin-party-2026

🚪 Door sales will be available on the night, but spaces are limited.

Don’t wait another 30 million years 🐧 Secure your spot and waddle on over to Exscite for an unforgettable evening!

📅 Friday 5 June
⏰ 5.30pm–8.15pm

Fossil Fest kicks off this Friday!Spend the weekend getting hands-on with real fossils and discover ancient Waikato.Wadd...
01/06/2026

Fossil Fest kicks off this Friday!

Spend the weekend getting hands-on with real fossils and discover ancient Waikato.

Waddle on over to the Penguin Party, hear about the Weird & Wonderful: Fossils of Aotearoa | Public Talk & Panel or see if your team can crack Confinement’s Mystery After Dark: Fossils & Secrets. There’s plenty to discover this weekend at Fossil Fest.

🗓️ 5–7 June | Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery

https://tewharetaonga.nz/whats-on/events/fossil-fest

🌙 Open Late tomorrow night! ⭐️On the last Wednesday of each month, we keep the doors open until 9pm with a cash bar, nib...
25/05/2026

🌙 Open Late tomorrow night! ⭐️

On the last Wednesday of each month, we keep the doors open until 9pm with a cash bar, nibbles, and a new way to experience the Museum.

This month, join a free guided tour of Fossil Finds and uncover the story of ancient Waikato. If you're looking for a space to catch up with friends or do something different, our Open Late is the perfect mid-week outing.

⏱️ Open from 5pm - 9pm
🍷 Cash bar
🧀 Free nibbles

Learn more: https://tewharetaonga.nz/whats-on/events/open-late-2026

⚠️ Friendly reminder that Exscite will be closed from today (20th May) until Friday (22nd May) while we install a brand ...
19/05/2026

⚠️ Friendly reminder that Exscite will be closed from today (20th May) until Friday (22nd May) while we install a brand new penguin interactive.

There's still plenty to discover for tamariki and their whaanau.

🐝 Plan a visit to Microsculpture and see tiny creatures transformed into giant portraits.

🐚 Explore fossils from across the Waikato in Fossil Finds and see one man's lifetime collection.

Read more: https://tewharetaonga.nz/explore/news/exscite-temporary-closes-ahead-of-new-penguin-interactive-launch

Calling all Friends (and future Friends!) 👋Find out what the Friends of Waikato Museum and Gallery is all about at their...
16/05/2026

Calling all Friends (and future Friends!) 👋

Find out what the Friends of Waikato Museum and Gallery is all about at their 52nd AGM. Hear from our new director, Rachael Davies, enjoy a drink, and meet some of the people who champion our museum. You don't need to be a member to attend!

🗓 Thursday 28 May
🕔 From 5pm (drinks on arrival)
📍 Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery

✨ Why join the Friends?

Membership starts from just $20 a year and includes invitations to exclusive exhibition openings, special events and gallery trips, advance exhibition updates and newsletters, discounts across exhibitions, events, the museum shop, and a range of local partners.

🌱 We need you!

At this AGM the current committee will step down, and a new committee (3–6 people) will be elected. This is essential to keep the Friends going after more than 50 years of support for the Museum. Will you join this collaborative group and help champion the museum? Send us a message for more information.

Read more: https://tewharetaonga.nz/get-involved/friends-of-waikato-museum

A brand new interactive experience celebrating Waikato's most famous ancient bird is coming to Exscite. While this is be...
16/05/2026

A brand new interactive experience celebrating Waikato's most famous ancient bird is coming to Exscite. While this is being installed, part of the upper gallery will be unavailable and Exscite will be closed entirely for a few days.

18th – 29th May: Exscite will be partially closed while installation is underway.
20th to 22nd May: Exscite will be fully closed.
23rd to 29th May: Exscite will be partially closed while installation is underway.
30th May: Exscite will be fully open again.

P.S. to celebrate the launch of this new interactive, we're throwing a special after-hours Penguin Party - and you're invited.

Now open! Microsculpture: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss brings the tiniest creatures into sharp focus. Using high‑m...
14/05/2026

Now open! Microsculpture: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss brings the tiniest creatures into sharp focus.

Using high‑magnification photography, insects just millimetres long are transformed into large‑scale portraits, revealing extraordinary detail, colour and form.

This internationally acclaimed exhibition has captivated audiences around the world, and it is now open in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

⚫ On until 2 September 2026
⚫ Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery
⚫ Free entry
⚫ Open daily, 10am–5pm

Presented by The American Museum of Natural History and toured in New Zealand/Aotearoa by Whirinaki Whare Taonga.

Jewel Longhorn Beetle, Nigeria. Species of the genus Sternotomis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Credit: © Levon Biss.

Levon Biss Photography

14/05/2026

Get ready to party like a penguin in Exscite. We're celebrating Waikato’s most famous penguin fossil with an after-hours celebration in Exscite. Waddle on over for games, craft, and penguin-themed fun.

⚫ Friday 5th June 2026, 5:30 - 8:15pm
⚫ Tickets from $10
⚫ Book now: https://tewharetaonga.nz/whats-on/events/penguin-party-2026

10/05/2026

Coming soon to Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

Microsculpture: The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss reveals insects at an extraordinary scale, uncovering hidden detail, beauty and complexity through world class photography.

Free entry at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery.

⚫ 15 May – 2 September 2026
⚫ Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery
⚫ Free entry
⚫ Open daily, 10am–5pm

Video © Tanya Cochrane 2016

Presented by American Museum of Natural History and toured in New Zealand/Aotearoa by Whirinaki Whare Taonga.

Levon Biss Photography

07/05/2026

🥼 Meet Caleb! 🦴

He’s the fossil enthusiast behind our free tours of Fossil Finds every Saturday at 2pm.

From identifying fossils, to carefully creating custom housing for them, Caleb has been part of this exhibition from the very beginning, and his passion for fossils is seriously contagious.

Join him on Saturdays at 2pm and discover the fossils that shaped Waikato’s past. 🔍

📍 Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery, 1 Grantham Street, Kirikiriroa Hamilton

Book Now: https://bit.ly/42mzmXL

Address

1 Grantham Street
Hamilton
3204

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+6478386606

Website

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