Wellington Museum facts for kids
Wellington Museum in the Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store building.
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| Former name | Museum of City & Sea |
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| Established | 1972 |
| Location | Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store,3 Jervois Quay, Queens Wharf, Wellington, New Zealand |
The Wellington Museum is a cool place to visit on Queens Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. It used to be called the Museum of City & Sea. The museum is inside a really old building from 1892. This building was once the Bond Store, right on the waterfront of Wellington Harbour.
In 2013, a newspaper called The Times said it was one of the top 50 museums in the whole world! The museum has four floors that tell the story of Wellington. It shares tales about the city's sea history, the first Māori settlers, and how Europeans arrived. You can learn how Wellington grew over 150 years to become New Zealand's capital city.
Inside, there's a huge cinema screen that goes up three floors! It shows movies all about Wellington. There are also three special theatre areas. One uses a cool trick called a pepper's ghost to tell old Māori legends. Another is a special place to remember the Wahine ferry that sank in Wellington harbour. On the top floor, you can find the Wellington Time Machine. A new area called The Attic opened in late 2015, after the top floor was fixed up.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Wellington Museum began in 1972. Back then, it was known as the Wellington Maritime Museum. It was part of the Wellington Harbour Board, which looked after the harbour.
In 1989, big changes happened with local groups across New Zealand. The museum then became part of the Wellington City Council (WCC). This meant it could tell more stories, including the social history of the area. The old Bond Store building was turned into the Museum of Wellington City & Sea in 1999. Then, in July 2015, its name changed to Wellington Museum. Today, a group called Experience Wellington runs the museum.
Exploring the Exhibits
The museum has many different exhibits spread across the four floors of the historic Wellington Harbour Board Head Office and Bond Store building. Each floor helps you discover more about Wellington's past.
The Bond Store Exhibit
This exhibit shows you what the museum building looked like a long time ago. In the late Victorian era, it was a warehouse. Goods were stored there before taxes were paid on them.
Telling Tales of Wellington
The "Telling Tales" exhibit used to explore Wellington's history through the 1900s. It used different items to show important events. This exhibit was later changed to a new one called Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Maritime Gallery and Wahine Theatre
The Maritime Gallery is all about Wellington's history with the sea. You can see a full-size captain's cabin. There's also a display about a famous dog named Paddy the Wanderer.
The Wahine Theatre is a special place to remember the TEV Wahine disaster. This was when a ferry sank in Wellington harbour. The theatre has items saved from the wreck. It also shows a short film made by New Zealand filmmaker Gaylene Preston.
The Von Kohorn Room
The Von Kohorn Room used to be the meeting room for the Wellington Harbour Board. It is named after Baron Ralph Steven von Kohorn. He helped the museum a lot over many years. In 1987, he received an award for his service to the city.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Wellington para niños
