Museums & Heritage

We are a small organisation focused on what happened in the past in Houghton Bay, Island Bay, and Ōwhiro Bay on the south coast of Wellington, New Zealand. We acknowledge the enduring importance of indigenous perspectives and knowledge of the history of our area. We appreciate the generosity of mana whenua, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o Ika a Maui in sharing their knowledge and also the continued interest of descendants of former peoples occupying the area; incuding Ngāi Tara, Ngā Ira, Ngāi Tahu and linked peoples of Rangitane and Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa.

Walk Wellington is a volunteer not for profit group with 25 years experience in guiding guests around our city. Walk Wellington, a "not for profit organisation" has been running guided walking tours in Wellington City since November 1999. Walk Wellington is run co-operatively by a team of trained and experienced volunteer guides. All guides are passionate Wellingtonians and love to have a chance to show off their home town.

Located on the shores of Wellington harbour, the Petone Settlers Museum Te Whare Whakaaro occupies one of New Zealand’s most significant memorial buildings, the Wellington Provincial Centennial Memorial

Located on the campus of the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua the Museum is in perfect context. Established in 1908 the collection was originally modelled on Scotland Yard’s Black Museum. Today the Museum houses and exhibits a large collection of New Zealand Police cultural property and criminal cases.

Maritime Heritage Trust of Wellington manages and maintains Hikita, Wellington’s historic heavy lifting floating crane. Residing at the Taranaki Street Wharf, Hikitia is an important part of Wellington’s rich maritime history.

Kawe Mahara Queer Archives Aotearoa collect, preserve and make available for research the records and personal papers of queer and takatapui people and organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our collections are focused on people who identify with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and innate variations of sex characteristics.

Archives

Libraries War Memorial

The Upper Hutt Blockhouse is one of the few remaining buildings associated with the New Zealand Wars, as well as a monument to Pākehā settler anxiety.

The 1859 lighthouse on Wellington Harbour’s wind-blasted Pencarrow Head radiates romantic isolation as vividly as the beam it once cast, which on clear nights used to reach as far as Marlborough’s Cloudy Bay.