Te Papa Tongarewa

New Zealand’s national museum brings together art, history, nature and Māori and Pacific cultures on Wellington’s waterfront. Te Papa Tongarewa, meaning “container of treasures”, opened in 1998 and was designed as a place where different parts of Aotearoa’s story could meet. The collections range from Māori taonga and Pacific artefacts to contemporary art, fossils, native wildlife and objects from everyday New Zealand life. One of its best-known specimens is a colossal squid, while interactive galleries explore earthquakes, volcanoes and the natural forces that shaped the country. The museum also gives Māori knowledge and perspectives a central place throughout its exhibitions.