Joe Louis loves it when you call him te papa

 

Museums come in different flavors. There are serious museums for art aficionados like the Louvre and the MOMA. There are smaller museums with a focus like the Picasso museum and the Van Gogh museum. And there are fun museums, where you can bring a family and have a few hours of educational enjoyment. Te Papa fits the last category perfectly.

First, the museum is free to enter. Just walk right into the open atrium and you are good to go. Second, the exhibits are very family friendly – with lots of cool and interactive features on animals, dinosaurs, and native Maori culture. When I was there, one exhibit linked panels on the floor to television screens on the wall so that as you walk through the room the information presented changes along with your position. Another nice aspect of the museum is free wi-fi – something I learned not to take for granted in New Zealand. The large lobby area is a great place to spend an hour and catch up on Internet work.

 

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See what other blogs are saying about the Te Papa museum:

“opening in 1998, Te Papa became an instant icon, and the building was applauded. The Museum collections break into 5 areas: Art, History, Pacific, Maori, and Natural Environment. Most amazingly, the museum does not charge at the door, and those doors are open every day of the year.”
–Uncharted101

“Next door is Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum which is FREE and filled with loads of cool things. And they have free wifi. Winning.
I won’t give too much away but they do have a giant squid and tons of fascinating Maori facts.”
–Young Adventuress

“See the heaviest colossal squid ever caught and the only complete one on display in the world. Build a virtual squid from home and then come and find it in exhibition.”
–Te Papa Tongarewa