what's on
29 July to 9 September
Sampler Season Live Lounge
One of our favourite things about the cold winter days is the return of our annual Sampler Season programme.
This year, to complement our usual free Sunday afternoon music gigs, the museum will play host to live knitting and yarn bombing.
Entry for all live music is free with tea, coffee and hot chocolate also available.
Mia Hamilton
Pop by any day to see what else Wellington’s knitters and yarn bombers have been up to, and knit a few rows of our continuous scarf.
Psst…the mesh and anchor outside the Museum are calling out for knit tagging. Don't forget to send us a photo of other woollie Wellington installations for our wall.
2pm
9 September
John Paul Young - CD release party
Set to take Wellington by storm, this singer/songwriter is a master of guitar, voice and sampler. For his new CD, JP weaves historical and contemporary Wellington events into an 1852 shark attack.
7 to 9 September
Kete Floor Talks
Kete is a three day fair and symposium that celebrates contemporary craft and design at the Academy of Fine Arts. The Museum's Todd Foundation Room will play host to an accompanying series of lectures from participants and curators featuring both national and international guest speakers.
See their website for a full list of the floor talks.
Free entry and no bookings required
August 2012
Museum receives Diversity Award
The Human Rights Commission has awarded a New Zealand Diversity Award to the Museum of Wellington City & Sea. Awarded to only 12 of more than 200 organisations each year, the Museum was recognised for its outstanding contribution to the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme through our recent exhibition Death and Diversity and its accompanying public programmes.
Museums Wellington Director Brett Mason receives the Diversity Award from Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Human Rights Commissioner Joris de Bres.
Open everyday
10am - 5pm
Many Objects Many Stories
In-depth stories of framed objects from the collection feature each month. Each object gets its moment in the spotlight. If you have additional information about any of these works we would love to hear from you. If you have items relating to Wellington, the Museum may well be a good home for them.
A project with the Museum and Heritage Studies students from Victoria University.
screens every 30 minutes
Māori creation legends
Māori creation legends are told in A Millennium Ago - a dramatic 12-minute show with special effects. Learn about the Taniwha that created Wellington’s harbour and hear how Māui tricked his grandmother into giving him fire.
can you spot the rat?
1890s Bond Store
Step into a 100 year old cargo warehouse; complete with authentic sights, sounds and smells – including virtual vermin!
The Bond Store
Did you know... two time capsules are hidden inside The Bond Store. One was placed in the building’s foundations in 1891. A second was added 100 years later as the Harbour Board marked its centenary.
screens every 30 minutes
The Wahine Disaster
On 10 April 1968, the inter-island ferry, the Wahine, sailed into a savage storm and sank at the entrance to Wellington harbour. Fifty-one people died on the day and a further two people died from injuries sustained during the sinking. This dramatic documentary details the tragic event.
For information on the 45th Wahine commemorations in 2013 please
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the maritime floor
barques & shipwrecks
Voyage through 800 years of Wellington's maritime history, hop into the captain's cabin and marvel at the 4.5m model of the Pamir. Then step into a wonderland of maritime objects from the collection in Jack's boathouse - named after the first curator of the former maritime museum.
The Pamir
Jack's Boathouse
Telling Tales - Wellington's 20th century
Follow the timeline of significant events of 20th Century Wellington: when Cinerama was the snazziest new thing, you could ride an elephant at the Zoo, and 3693 bodies were disinterred to build a motorway.
Discover the stories behind New Zealand's nuclear-free stance
The 1913 Strike - War on the Wharves
Early Wellington
Find out what daily life was like in 1900s Wellington: in the classroom, at home, at work and at leisure. Pick up a telephone and hear from people a century ago.
Queens Wharf - taken from the roof of the Bond Store
