Te Papa Museum of New Zealand

To the south of Civic Square and gracing the harbour’s eastern bank is the unmistakable Te Papa Museum of New Zealand – Wellington’s biggest tourist attraction. As if the exterior was not enough, the interior is also mind-bending. Heavily publicized Te Papa has faithfully represented the nation’s heritage since 1998, at an initial cost of $317 million. Since then over twice the population of the nation itself (9.3 million) have passed through its doors and few have been disappointed. Of its many temporary exhibits not surprisingly the most successful was the Lord of The Rings props exhibition, in 2003.

In Te Papa they say there is something for everybody and this does seem to hold true. As expected, there is a heavy emphasis on Maori heritage, taonga (treasures) and biculturalism, mixed with the inevitable early settler material, contemporary displays of all things Kiwi and ‘Toi Te Papa’ – an exhibition of 130 New Zealand artworks.

Most recently it was the turn of the natural history section to grab the headlines with the arrival and display of the world’s largest specimen of colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, or ‘Squid Vicious’ as it is known to staff). The half-ton, 10-m long specimen arrived at the museum in March 2007, after being captured in New Zealand waters a month before.

For some, particularly Europeans who are blessed with a long and complex human history, Te Papa does leave the impression of the country’s relative youth on the grand scale of world history and events. However, there is no doubt that as a whole it is world-class and provides the usual high-tech sensual bombardment – perhaps too much so. Since it’s free, it is a good idea to have an initial quick recce and return later for a more in-depth investigation to avoid the almost inevitable information overload.

There is an excellent shop on the ground floor.