Auckland Maritime Museum

One of the interesting things to do around Auckland Marina is a visit to the Maritime Museum located next to the dock where the Explore racing yacht boats have their moorings.

The pricing is quite reasonable at NZ$24 or NZ$19 for old buggers like me and it’s even free for Auckland residents. The heritage sailings are a bit extra. It was certainly cheaper than most museum entry’s in the UK.

As you pass through the entrance you first see some of the historic boats that are still in use by the museum for trips and experience rides. These range from Polynesian catamaran to more modern sailing barques.

The first thing you come across when you enter the museum proper are displays of the type of early craft used in the Polynesian migrations across the Pacific when they island hopped across the Pacific ocean colonising islands as they went. An amazing exercise in navigation and sailing skill.

After the Polynesian section the focus on the European discovery of New Zealand with the Dutch and British.

The last section on the lower floor are displays on the early European immigrations to New Zealand from the sailing ships in the 1800s taking over 100 days to the Motor-ships in the the 50s taking a mear 40 days

After the historical stuff you move to displays that are close to every New Zealanders heart that’s yachting starting this dinghy sailing.

Before moving up to the Americas Cup boats that New Zealand is really famous for.

The last section in these displays is a section on Ocean racing focusing on the famous racer Peter Blake and his catamaran ENZA that won the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994.

The last section was a very sobering display on the dark section of history on slavery of south sea islanders known as blackbirding.

It certainly made me think.

So there you go Hivers if you have a few hours free in Auckland the maritime museum is well worth a visit if you are there and have time a trip on one of historical boats would be a real treat.

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