Taupō Museum

19/05/2026

🦕 📸 🦖

🦖📸 WIN A $100 VOUCHER WITH THE RECYCLOSAURUS 📸🦖

The Recyclosaurus has stomped its way into the Taupō Museum… but not for long 👀 Catch it before it disappears on June 8th!

While you’re there, keep an eye out for our MINI Boom Boom 💥

A fun little tribute to the iconic Boom Boom sculpture, which just celebrated its first birthday in Taupō 🎉

Want to enter the draw to win $100?
It’s easy:

✨ Visit the Recyclosaurus at the Taupō Museum
✨ Snap a photo with our mini Boom Boom (Just like Vicki has in our pic!)
✨ Post it to social media
✨ Use the hashtag

Whether it’s a cute selfie, a family pic, or your best dinosaur pose, we can’t wait to see your photos 🦕📷

Get tagging, get posting, and don’t miss your chance to see the awesome art before June 8th!

15/05/2026

🦕🩷 Pink Shirt Day deserves pink art 🩷🦕

Featuring 'Tail End of an Era' by local creative Maddy Watson, a vibrant, expressive piece that champions creativity and kindness.

Grab it for $75 and make your wall look dino‑mite.

Standing together against bullying never looked so good.

04/05/2026

⭐ Did You Know ⭐ The female moa was almost TWICE the size of the males 👀📏
According to a 2013 scientific study on the giant moa (Dinornis), while the males ranged from 34-85kg, the females could weigh up to 240kg!
🏛️
Come visit Taupo Museum this week to celebrate Archaeology Week, and see our fantastic real moa skeleton, and incredible replica female and male moa leg bones 🦴⛏

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3652460/

21/04/2026

In recognition of ANZAC, we encourage you to explore our museum and learn about the remarkable tipuna who gave their lives during WWI and WWII.

Poppies and commemorative books are available, with 'Taupō District Remembers Them' priced at $60 and poppies available for a koha/donation.

Our museum will observe a closure on ANZAC Day morning, opening at 1pm and remaining open until 4:30pm.

02/04/2026

Closed for Good Friday. We'll see you Saturday, April 4 for the Recycle-o-Saurus exhibition and our regular hours. Happy Easter!

01/04/2026

Recycle‑o‑Saurus roars into Taupō Museum

A new, dino‑themed exhibition made from recycled materials is set to delight visitors at Taupō Museum these school holidays.

Recycle‑o‑Saurus runs from Saturday 4 April to Sunday 8 June, inviting visitors to explore prehistoric‑inspired artworks created entirely from recycled items. The exhibition showcases the imagination of artists who transform everyday waste into roar‑some dinosaur creations.

Recycle‑o‑Saurus continues Taupō Museum’s popular tradition of hands‑on, community‑led exhibitions, following well‑loved favourites such as Re‑Cycle, Creepy Crawlies and Quixotic Aquatic. It highlights how creativity and sustainability can go hand‑in‑hand, while offering a fun and engaging experience for all ages.

Taupō Museum Displays Officer Piata Winitana‑Murray says the exhibition is designed to spark curiosity and conversation.

“Recycle‑o‑Saurus is all about creating with the materials around us,” Piata says. “It’s exciting to see the community express itself through fun, imaginative works made from recycled items.”

Alongside the exhibition, Taupō Museum will host a range of family‑friendly activities, including guided dinosaur adventures and creative workshops using recycled materials.

The exhibition will open with a special event at 5.30pm this Thursday 2 April. Taupō Museum will be closed on Friday 3 April for the public holiday, before the exhibition opens to the public from Saturday 4 April.

Entry to the exhibition is free for local residents.

05/03/2026

Taupō Museum on the hunt for dino-mite art!

Kerence Stephen has been on a crazy creative buzz after hearing about the Recycle-o-Saurus art exhibition at Taupō Museum. The quirky exhibition celebrates sustainability and dinosaurs!

Being an artwork framer means she has access to some perfect recyclable materials.

“I have used cool picture frame off cuts that are too small to make into frames, mat board and glass offcuts and damaged materials.” explains Kerence.

But the special ingredient is the art pieces wacky centre pieces.

“My kids loved dinosaurs, and I still had some of their old toys. They have been chopped up and given new lives.”

Kerence reckons these community exhibitions are good fun for everyone to take part in.

“They are inclusive of all creative people no matter their age or artistic ability. People feel more comfortable to participate which in turn means there are always fantastic, weird and wonderful creations entered.”

“I love it when children participate and come into the gallery and see their art displayed professionally. I hope that it instils in them a lifelong appreciation of art and art galleries.”

Keen to get involved? Craft your prehistoric-themed masterpiece from recycled materials before 26 March. Deliver them to Taupō Museum between 26 and 30 March. Contact the team for more info at [email protected]

The recycled artworks will be exhibited from 4 April to 8 June. Entry to Taupō Museum is free for residents with proof of address. The museum is open daily from 10am to 4pm.

25/02/2026

We got a profile post! Introducing...

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Meet the lovely Danielle from Taupō Musuem!

What is your role now and how did you get started with your career?

My role is Collections Curator at Taupō Museum and Art Gallery. I had thought working in a museum would be exciting since I was a teenager but had never considered it seriously as a career until my late 20s after finding my previous studies in graphic design unfulfilling.

That gave me the push to really think what career I really wanted and suddenly working in museums became not only realistic but very doable with the right study path.

What do you like about your role?

I joke that I like organising and I like touching old things, and working with museum collections is the natural combination of both. I really find joy in discovering the stories that even the simplest of objects can tell…and I get to organise information, documentation, and object to my heart’s content!

What would you like other people to understand about what you do?

To the public, a museum is what you see when you visit, but in truth it is so much more. I liken museums to icebergs - what you see on display is only a small sampling of what is stored out of the public eye.

To me, museums are the caretakers of history, and beyond being a place to visit on a fieldtrip or on holiday, they are places where people can come to do research and connect with family history.

What are you most proud of at Taupō Disrtict Council?

As a recent transplant to Taupō, I have so much pride in how beautifully the downtown is laid out and presented, for both residents and tourists. It truly is such a walkable place, welcoming to all.

What do you get up to outside of work?

I’m an incurable homebody; I love a good story and a sunny spot. But I have been pushing myself to get out more by attending markets, both as a customer and a vendor. I make button pins and jewellery from old children’s books and comic books. I might also pick-up casual archery soon, as I’ve seen there is a good community in Taupō.

17/02/2026

The final day to visit this exhibition at Taupō Museum is tomorrow (Wed 18 February), with an earlier closing time of 12:30 pm. For those who have been delaying their visit, the morning presents the last opportunity to view the display. Kia kakama mai.

17/02/2026

Are you thinking about emergency preparedness, weather warnings, and essential supplies? Civil Defence Taupō and Jeffrey Addison will be hosting community preparedness workshops every Thursday from 1-2pm during the exhibition, covering natural disasters, emergency planning, and emergency kits. These free sessions are open to locals, and bookings can be made by emailing [email protected]. Civil Defence Taupō