Welcome to the Whanganui Regional Museum.
Explore the people, stories and natural history of Whanganui.
Free admission · Open daily 10am–4.30pm · Pukenamu Queen’s Park
Explore the people, stories and natural history of Whanganui.
Free admission · Open daily 10am–4.30pm · Pukenamu Queen’s Park
Find something unique for somebody special
The museum gift shop is a treasure trove of unusual books, delightful gifts and quality souvenirs. Take home a memento of your visit or find a gift for that person who has everything.
A Fresh Look for a Much-Loved Landmark
Whanganui Regional Museum’s new exterior colour scheme unveiled.
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Contemporary Taonga Pūoro Māori Collection Welcomed to Museum
New collection reflects the ceremonial, healing and ancestral significance of taonga pūoro Māori.
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Discover Whanganui’s stories at Whanganui Regional Museum
Located in Pukenamu Queen’s Park, Whanganui Regional Museum is home to significant collections of Taonga Māori, moa bones, historical fashion and textiles, the Gottfried Lindauer Gallery of paintings of Whanganui rangatira, and much more.
Learn about the people, objects and stories that have shaped Whanganui and the wider region, through Māori heritage and local social and natural histories..
Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.
Plan your visit
Education
Current Exhibitions
Support the Museum
Future Events
Saturday Sounds – Appassionata
Sat, 12 Sep, 2026
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Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Thu, 17 Sep, 2026
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Taonga o te Marama/Object of the Month
Fri, 18 Sep, 2026
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All Events
Current Exhibitions
Whanganui Mūmū – Whanganui By Design
Highlighting the creativity, innovative spirit, cultural integrity, and strength of the tradition of art and design in the Whanganui region.
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Utauta Taketake, Utauta Hōu/Tools Through Time
Get a close look at the extraordinary objects that connect us to the deep past, from Lower Palaeolithic tools to Neolithic implements, showcasing the ingenuity and artistry of our ancestors.
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Rūaumoko – Restless Land
Step into the world beneath our feet and discover the extraordinary forces that continue to shape Aotearoa New Zealand. This interactive touring exhibition from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa brings together mātauranga Māori and science to explore earthquakes, volcanoes and the story of Rūaumoko.
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Our Places of Worship
Experience an evocative tribute to the region’s spiritual heritage, captured through the eyes of passionate local photographers.
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He Kete Iti
He Kete Iti brings together 101 contemporary Māori kete and historical taonga from the Whanganui Regional Museum collection to explore weaving as a living practice of knowledge, connection, and intergenerational exchange.
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Other Exhibitions
He Awa Ora – Living River
A unique exhibition of ancient and new taonga (treasures) that tell the story of Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River and its people. The Awa and iwi feature in a narrative supported by taonga Māori, encompassing the past, the present and the future.
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Aitanga-a-Pēpeke – The Smallest Creatures
Aitanga-a-pēpeke is the family name for all the tiny crawling, flying and burrowing invertebrates that populate Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Te Awanui – The Avenue
The look and feel of long-remembered shops and businesses that lined the centre of Whanganui during a golden era of commerce.
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All Exhibitions
Collection Highlights
1802.605.9
POSTER; Durie Hill Garden Suburb, 1920s.
This land sale poster by A D Willis shows the area at the brow of Durie Hill with sections for sale. The suburb had been specially designed by Samuel Hurst Seager, at the time when there was great enthusiasm for designing garden suburbs throughout New Zealand.
1962.178.4
PORTABLE DESK
This portable desk or writing box made circa 1900 has an outer surface decorated with porcupine quills and dots of ivory. It has a hinged lid and a fold-down front with the interior divided into sections for storing writing equipment and a writing surface.
2002.34.6
PHOTOGRAPH; Taupo Quay in flood.
This photograph was taken on Taupo Quay near the Old Tram Shed, after the flood of the Whanganui River in 1940. Four people can be seen rowing a boat down the flooded street. The Durie Hill Tower is visible in the background.