Auckland War Memorial Museum product reviews

I have been to Auckland museum probably about 5 times in my life and I always enjoy it. I never get to spend as much time there as I would like to. I always enjoy the war exhibitions. The museum has an impressive weapons display and the holocaust section, although small it has a lot of information and stories.
The last time I was there was in the July holidays this year. The top floor was open and this was the first time I had been up there. You can look over Auckland city in all directions. There were kids activities up there with craft stations set up, a stage and bean bags everywhere. My 5 year old had a blast dressing up in the costumes and putting on his own little show for anyone who would watch. We were lucky enough to watch and join in with Japanese dancers and my little guy loved that. Meanwhile my 12 and 14 year old were able to explore the other floors of the museum at their leisure.
The facilities at the museum are really good. The toilets are clean. The coat and bag check in service is really handy. We get a little bit lost with the different elevators though, I think signage could be improved. Because we don't live in Auckland it is entry by donation but for Aucklanders entry is free and I think it is a great place to spend a day no matter what age you are.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum is an amazing place, with beautiful architecture, a great environmental standing, and a wide range of exhibits. The Museum has a number of permanent exhibits, and children areas that have items that can be touched and seen up close. But the parts that interest me the most are the temporary exhibits.

The Museum has so many items stored away, that they can fill halls with information, and create beautiful exhibits that change on a regular basis, so you can visit multiple times and still enjoy yourself. I last went when they had an exhibit that explored the waters, from the shallow beaches to the deep trenches within the New Zealand waterways.

With many specimens that I had never seen before, and interactive learning methods, it was exciting for all ages. I could compare myself to the life-size sharks, sit and watch David Attenborough narrate about deep-sea life, I could read all the infographics posted on the walls, or I could use the interactive computer systems to discover more.

But beyond recreational use, the Auckland Museum contributes scientifically, by collecting specimens from a variety of groups, and allows researchers to study them. Whether it be botanical specimens in the herbarium, insects, marine, or land vertebrates, the Museum holds an abundance to cater to all interests.

Our family loves getting out and doing things together on the weekend - rain or shine - and the Auckland Museum is a tried and true favourite.

Our 3 year old adores the museum - and that's just the steps and the columns at the front before we even get inside!! She knows exactly where she wants to go - usually to the kids section, to see the animals and volcano and her "in-resting" things - as she calls them.

There are special exhibits that change, and there have been some wonderful ones. My personal favourite - being that I was a huge fan, was the Outrageous Fortune one a couple of years ago - worth every cent!!

I do not mind paying for the special exhibits, and do like to give a small donation to the museum when we go, even though for Auckland residents it is free entry.

We don't tend to go into the gift shops - as they are always quite pricey - but have bought a fantastic Pukeko toy from there previously. Our 3 yr old adores the shop, however, and wants to buy everything, so it is well marketed/stocked for kids and adults.

The cafe in there is pricey, so we don't tend to eat there, but nice to have the option - and to get a takeaway coffee to enjoy with our picnic out in the domain.

The parking can be a bit of a pain, but we tend to go in the weekend/school days - so not a huge issue.

Love the museum, and will continue to take our family there often!

The trip to the museum is always a fun filled day. Now having a 1 year old and 2 x 8 year olds it was an adventure. We especially went to have a look at the poisoners display and interactive challenge. It was only $5.00 to enter each and we were given a pencil and a worksheet and lead into the display. A guy dressed in Private Investigators costume told us a story about a car crash and that we would have to find out that it wasn't an accident and that someone killed them.

We were given our first clue and we had to find the rest. The display was impressive and so much fun for the kids. The display was divided into rooms and in each room you had to find a clue ie a display that had a BUBBLE over a speech mark somewhere located in the room then you have to find different animals on stickers eg 8 Polar Bears etc. After finding all the clues we worked out the answer and put it in the computer at the end to make sure we were right. After that the kids were taken to a library room and shown everything you can know about snakes, and even had snakes with him (don't worry they were dead). I give the poisoners a 100% success with the kids and would definitely go again.

The rest of the museum is fabulous from the kids area to the interactive kids play area. We walked around the war area where you are taken back in time to what sort of guns were used, the uniforms, the heartache, the men lost in war. The planes they flew are incredible and scary at the same time imagining ourselves in them is scary. After 4 hours in the museum and still not seeing the entire thing it was time to leave as kids had reached their peak.

A thoroughly enjoyable day had by all, a must to all but allow heaps of time. Parking is my only gripe as it was expensive to park there, but can park in the domain if you are early.

I love museums and can spend hours in this one. I find the price and the car parking are the bits that put me off visiting as often as i would like.

I always start at the bottom with the stuff that never really changes (where the elephant is and all the old stuff including a play station from the 90s and lollies). One of my favorite things about this part of the museum is the look on peoples faces when they look into the tree hut. I however am too scared to do this as i fear getting stuck in the tree. I like to take my time looking around and this annoys most people that visit with me.

I especially tend to take my time looking at all the war stuff and reading about it even though i have seen it millions of times before. It makes me feel connected to the soldiers in the war. Working my way through the museum towards this part is like a small child crossing the days off on the calendar before Christmas.

There are exhibits that change a lot and my personal favorite would have to have been the BMW racing cars that had the life size car on display and then the small model size. This is the only time i have been lucky enough to have been in the top of the museum, which also has an amazing view over Auckland.

I tend to find the gift/souvenir shop a VERY typical gift shop but like the coin machine that you put in your $2 and it prints you a museum coin with a picture of the front of the museum on it.

My biggest concern with the museum is the parking cost which isn't seemed to be taken into account when a quick trip to the museum is at least 4 hours and you are paying Auckland prices so my tip to you if you don't have a lot of money is, park where its free and walk to the museum but go early so you have the day to enjoy it.

The museum has always been a big hit for my family. I love the entire atmosphere of the place. There's something for everyone, from the interactive area for kids to the Spitfire planes for the dads.
My personal favourite is the Volcano house! Even waiting in line watching those inside who have never experienced it is fun enough let alone being inside the shaking house.
I love that there is a huge outside area for the kids to run riot while eating a wee picnic.
Food is decently priced and the entry fee is great at just $5.

We will always be back to auckland museum!

The ability to view the exhibits from all angles and even have a hands-on experience with some of the articles from a seasonal exhibit really made my whole day more fun. There was more than enough staff around who seemed to be more than willing to provide help or information should you need a helping hand. There is a great deal of things to see and do, whatever your interests may be.

As mentioned by the previous reviewer there was a problem with parking. I strongly agree with his summation that using a bus or other form of outside transport would be a better option than trying to park-your-own. I got a substantial boost up the hill to the museum but I found the trip down quite tough as I had to concentrate intently in order to not go 'outside the lines' and either down the hill on the grass or down a gutter onto the road.

I can't say I have visited a LOT of museums, but I have seen a few scattered around the globe, but for such a small country, New Zealand can hold it's collective head up, because it has a museum it should be proud of. With a number of permanent exhibits, which are supplimented by seasonal and touring exhibitions, there is something to be found in these halls to capture any imagination. For those who enjoy history, check out the War Memorial, or the historical background of the museum itself.

Located atop the Auckland Domain, one of the 48 active volcanoes that Auckland is built upon, you will find there is more than just the Museum itself to draw you in, but any visit to the Domain warrants a stop in, to see what's new. However, parking may be a problem, especially on a sunny day when the sportsgrounds and picnic areas are also in full use. Either get there early, or use the public transport system, is my suggestion. I had a travelling companion with me who is in a wheelchair. With all of the reserved space either in use, or blocked due to construction of the 'Grand Atrium' expansion, we had to park downhill... and it's a steep hill to push a wheelchair up to the door!

Speaking of which, though we were informed that "...this place wasn't specifically designed for wheelchair access..." it was obvious that the curator staff had made quite some effort when planning the exhibition layouts, because we had no trouble freely navigating the whole place, including the cafe, gift shop and toilets. This was a great relief, allowing us a smooth journey throughout... despite "...possibly the world's oldest and slowest elevators..." as one staff member put it... which gave us a laugh. They apparently have to take the elevators out of service a couple of times a day to avoid overheating the motors.

Overall, because the majority of the Museum's appeal is in it's contents, I can't say a huge amount about it... but I assure you, from the moment you look up at this impressive and imposing building's frontage, you will understand what a wonderful place this is to visit... Bookmark their website so you can keep up to date with what's new and coming up, and if you are not an Auckland resident, make sure you add a visit to the museum to your itinerary because there is bound to be something wonderful waiting for you there.