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

Wellington Museum

Name: Wellington Museum
Address: 3 Jervois Quay, Wellington, 6011, NZ
Telephone: +6444728904
Rating: 4.9

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See something new (but old) at Te Waka Huia o Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho, Wellington Museum. House Rules for Wellington Museum's page

Kia ora and welcome.
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20/06/2026

Zoom in… are you there?

On this day in 1964, Beatlemania hit Pōneke. Thousands of fans packed the corner of Willis and Boulcott Streets as The Beatles arrived at the St George Hotel during their ‘Far East’ tour. What started as a gathering quickly swelled to around 4,000 people, bringing the city centre to a standstill.

But getting The Beatles inside wasn’t going to be easy…

Hotel manager Frank Drewitt had a plan. While police created a decoy at the front entrance, Drewitt waited around the side with a small team. At the signal, a lifted hat, the car pulled up, the door flew open, and The Beatles dashed inside, slipping past the crowds.

Moments later, they appeared on the third-floor balcony, greeting fans with a wave.

The next night, they played Wellington Town Hall, where the screams were so loud some fans even punctured the seats with their stiletto heels.

Were you there?

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Image: The Beatles on the balcony of the Hotel St George, Wellington. Hill, Morris James, 1929-2002 :Negatives of Wellington, and national events and personalities. Ref: 1/4-071852-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23228019

19/06/2026

Will tonight be one for the history books?

We think so. Go the Hurricanes 💛🖤

Throwback to Paddy celebrating the Canes’ last win in 2016.

15/06/2026

[EVENT] Unwind with a relaxed night at Te Waka Huia Wellington Museum this Friday🌙

Slip on a pair of headphones, explore after dark, and enjoy silent soundtracks curated by DJ Marika 🎧

Choose your own music, move at your own pace, and take in the museum in a whole new way.

There’ll be craft activities, chill-out spaces, and guided tours throughout the evening.

Designed as a sensory-friendly, welcoming experience for all 💙

It may feel particularly comfortable for sensory-sensitive, neurodivergent, and Takiwātanga Autistic visitors. To support this, audiovisual displays will run at reduced volume, and any sudden changes will be clearly signposted.

Accessibility maps will be available on the night, or you can download one via the link in bio.

📅 Friday 19 June
⏰ 6–9pm
🎟️ Free entry, registration recommended via link in bio

14/06/2026

[SCHOOL HOLIDAYS] Tamariki are taking over Wellington for the July School Holidays. We have you covered for FREE activities to keep your little explorers busy.

💙 Tamariki Takeover. Bring the whole whānau to Wellington Museum's Tamariki Takeover for a day packed with creativity, storytelling, play and hands-on fun and all for FREE. Saturday 11 July, 10am–2pm.

🍴 Capital of Kai. Tamariki can see miniatures of our renowned Wellington dishes and dream up meals on the lightbox drawing activity. Daily, 10am–5pm.

🔍 Tasty Treasure Hunt. What kind of kaimoana would you trap with a hīnaki? Grab a free Tasty Treasure Hunt activity sheet from the front desk at Wellington Museum and hunt down food history facts. Daily, 10am–5pm.

🌳 Tree of Remembrance. A special activity for Matariki. Leave a message for a loved one on a paper star and add it to the beautiful tree in Nairn Street Cottage's garden. 10 July–31 July, all hours.

❤️ Cable Car Museum. All aboard the Cable Car Museum for a trip through Wellington history. Get up close to the Victorian-era grip cars and see the Original Winding Room in motion. Daily, 10am–5pm.

Plenty to see, do, and discover… and did we mention? It’s all FREE 🙌

12/06/2026

Forest Drawn is an ongoing illustration project by Hannah Webster, centred on the natural world and outdoor spaces of Aotearoa, New Zealand 🌳✏️

She creates alongside her full-time role in product development and design within the wool industry.

Her latest postcard designs of Nairn Street Cottage were developed from studies of the cottage and its gardens, colour matching tones of flora and fauna into paint.

Available in the Wellington Museum store and online through Shop Wellington.

Shop now and get 15% off with our mid-year sale 💐
www.shopwellington.nz/collections/hannah-webster

10/06/2026

The WOAP programme just dropped 👀🍔

Plot your burger crawl… then come see where it all began.

Our exhibition Capital of Kai is part of this year’s Visa Wellington On a Plate programme, sharing the stories behind Wellington’s most iconic eats.

Check out the full line-up here 👉 https://visawoap.com

09/06/2026

From gun barrels to grill marks…

This 70kg grill plate, now on display in Capital Kai, once fired up meals at the legendary Green Parrot Cafe.

Introduced by ‘Big’ Tony Marin in 1932, it’s rumoured to have been made from melted First World War gun barrels. For decades, it served everyone from politicians and movie stars to taxi drivers and port workers.

Tucked away in the Green Parrot attic for years, it was rediscovered and donated to Wellington Museum in 2022 by Kosta and Chris Sakoufakis.

Now here’s something to toast to...
📸 Snap a photo with the grill in our exhibition
🍷 Head to the Green Parrot in June
✨ When ordering your meal and complimentary wine, show your waitress the promotional image to redeem the offer

History never tasted so good.

07/06/2026

On this day in 1987 Aotearoa became nuclear‑free.

The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act was passed into law, making this country a nuclear and biological weapon‑free zone.

This moment didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of decades of protest, from anti‑Vietnam War activism in the 1960s to the mass movement of the 1980s that called for an independent and ethical foreign policy.

One symbol of that movement stood right here in Wellington.

This sign, painted by Mark Roach and erected by John William Urlich, Mike Rashbrooke, and the Wellington Peace Forum on Hiroshima Day in 1988, became a familiar sight on Calabar Road in Miramar. A piece of guerrilla activism, it stood proudly for over 15 years before being removed by Wellington City Council in 2004.

Today, it lives on in our collection.

At the time the law was passed in 1987, the decision to go nuclear‑free strained relationships with allies, but it reflected what many New Zealanders believed. By 1989, more than half the country said they would be in favour of breaking defence ties rather than allowing nuclear‑armed ships into New Zealand harbours.

A bold stance then and still a defining part of New Zealand’s identity today.

03/06/2026

Your favourite Wellington goodies… on sale? Say less 👀

Shop Wellington's mid-year sale is live and features some of our most-loved Pōneke makers, including Apostle, Wonderland Chocolate and Wundaire.

Enjoy 15% off site-wide and extra sweet deals on our sale collection.

Shop now: https://shopwellington.nz/

T&Cs apply.

30/05/2026

On this day in 1930, a breakthrough beneath Mount Victoria quietly reshaped Wellington.

At 2:30pm, tunnellers working from opposite sides of the hill finally met in the middle, after 15 months of labour underground.

The first to step through the opening were tunnellers Philip Gilbert and Alfred Graham, marking the moment when a physical divide between the city and the eastern suburbs was overcome. What had long been a slow and difficult journey was about to become a daily passage for thousands.

Constructed by Hansford and Mills at a cost of around £132,000 (equivalent to roughly $12–14 million today), the Mount Victoria Tunnel was a feat of modern engineering. When it officially opened in 1931, it became New Zealand’s first mechanically ventilated road tunnel, setting a national precedent for urban infrastructure.

But the tunnel’s history is not only one of progress. Just weeks after the breakthrough, construction was halted during the search for Phyllis Avis Symons, a 17‑year‑old whose disappearance became one of Wellington’s most infamous crimes. Her body was found among tunnel spoil at Hataitai, tying her story forever to the project. Phyllis was buried at Karori Cemetery (Friends of Karori Cemetery), and her life and death remain an integral and troubling part of the tunnel’s legacy.

Today around 45,000 vehicles pass through the Mount Victoria Tunnel each day, a lasting piece of infrastructure shaped by many stories, both well known and less often told.

Address

3 Jervois Quay
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+6444728904

Website

https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/wellington-museum/

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