Auckland New Zealand Maritime Museum Tickets

The New Zealand Maritime Museum offers a journey through the country’s history via one of its most important elements: the sea. Its location next to Auckland Harbour enhances a visit in which seafaring, migration and trade take centre stage.

A key part of the tour is devoted to Polynesian voyages, which help visitors understand how the first seafarers reached Aotearoa by relying on their knowledge of the ocean, the stars and the currents. These stories illustrate the extent to which the sea has shaped the country’s identity since its very beginnings.

The exhibitions continue with the arrival of Europeans and the challenges posed by the long ocean crossings. You’ll discover artefacts and stories relating to the first settlements, life on board and the evolution of maritime transport over time.

The museum also explores more recent aspects of New Zealand’s maritime history, such as trade, shipbuilding and sailing. Through various exhibits and resources, you can see how the technologies used for travel and work at sea have evolved.

The visit is self-guided, so you can spend as much time as you like in the galleries that interest you most. Its location in the Viaduct Basin also makes it easy to combine a visit to the museum with a stroll around the harbour area and other parts of central Auckland.