Unfortunately, the main museum was closed for renovation when I was there, so there's just a small pop-up museum at 66 Gloucester Street in the meantime. Given the quality of the exhibits in the pop-up version, i was even more disappointed to miss the main museum! From the suit of armor stove to the full scale replica of a Maori meetinghouse made from yarn, this was a delightful stop! read more

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I really enjoyed this small local museum in Christchurch. After arriving in town way too early in the morning, and wandering the neighboring botanical gardens, I entered the museum right as it opened. Opened in 1870, this elegant building was designed by B W Mountfort. Constructed of local grey basalt with rhyolite facings. Throughout time there have been several additions. But the main entrance still holds its stature. The Decorative Arts room was my favorite. As I stood in the doorway in awe of the rich dark carved wood, wood floor, and chandelier, an employee told me I was standing in the original main hall of the museum. As they are currently starting a remodel, I turned to him and said, "I hope they leave this room alone. It is simply gorgeous." It is true piece of time and craftsmanship. Some of the galleries were already closed while there. I did visit - Haast's collection of moa bones. This was one giant bird. Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian antiquities. Sculptures and bronze ornaments from the London International Exhibition of 1871. The Oldman Collection of Polynesian and Maori Artifacts. Fred and Myrtle's Paua Shell House. That was an interesting story. The museum has a great colonial collections of clothing, furniture, household items, stamps, artworks, architectural plans, maps, photographs, diaries, personal papers and publications. It even replicated a colonial street of shops full of wares. Nice touch. Allow a couple of hours Afterwards head to The Arts Centre. (Check that review) The world's largest collection of Moa bones read more

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I knew beforehand that the Canterbury museum offered free admission, but they ask for donations. It is one of the top things to do while in Christchurch, New Zealand, so I went. I was here after hanging out at the Christchurch botanical gardens on one casual day on holiday in September 2018. I wanted to check things out before meeting a friend around 5pm, right after the museum closes for the day. And so, I arrived here around 2:30pm and ended up spending about 2 hours before finishing up. I did not know there was so much interesting stuff in the museum! The only thing that was interesting was the Asian art exhibit and the Egyptian mummy, where it doesn't fit in with anything Christchurch or New Zealand. I realized then, it could be whatever the museum has been gifted, donated, or purchased from private donors. It just made the museum that much more interesting though. It was cool to see the Egyptian mummy though. It's been a point of fascination for me since I was a little kid. For the most part though, I had a good educational experience here at the Canterbury museum. Check it out, if you are in the area. It's something to do during your stay in Christchurch, New Zealand. The overall experience here at the Canterbury museum was very enjoyable and enlightening. Museums can be a downer when you're a kid, but I've come to rediscover them as an adult and it is pretty amazing! I enjoyed the various exhibits that highlighted Christchurch and Canterbury's existence. Most notable is the pre history and the World War I stuff. It was pretty neat how they did a replica of a 1890's Street of downtown Christchurch. That was pretty surreal though! The Canterbury museum is located next to the botanical gardens here in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It's address is on Rolleston Avenue and pretty much right next to the entrance to the Botanical gardens as well. As mentioned before, they do not charge an admission fee, but are appreciative of donations they receive. Not sure of parking options here, as I was a tourist on holiday. Best bet would be street parking where you can find it nearby and walk through. If you are like me, I walked it from my hotel - which was about 2 km away. Christchurch has a great public transportation system too. Uber is good as well. For the most part though, the educational value of the Canterbury museum is invaluable. You learn a lot about how Canterbury and Christchurch was from pre history and all the way to pretty much modern day. World War I exhibit was interesting, as it put many New Zealanders at war with many deaths in 1914-1918. The highlight of the museum for me was the Egyptian mummy, as mentioned below. It was interesting and creepy to have an authentic mummy there, but I knew it was for the museum. The replica statues of Isis and Osiris was awesome and the description of the mummy was quite intrigued. It seemed like this mummy was from the upper class, or someone who could afford an elaborate burial at the time. There was about 3 floors of exhibits, but the 2 floor held the Egyptian and the Asian arts exhibits. If you are here and want something to do, consider coming here and dropping a small donation. It's a pretty cool place to learn about the history of Christchurch and Canterbury New Zealand. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. I'd recommend coming here. Education not found in a book! Support local! A read more

Pretty tops spot. We chucked a look at it on one of our last nights as a more casual activity to pass the time. We learned a lot and even emoted slightly. The ground level and first floors were the best and also highly recommend the arctic dogs exhibit ~ the Asian and bird exhibits were great too but probably not as impactful. We didn't eat at the cafe on 4th floor, so can't comment. But we did ride some of the lime electric scooters back to the car park! read more

Great free museum. Obviously donations are appreciated and they ask for about $5. For something "free", this was a pretty expansive exhibit. I really enjoyed the comprehensive displays on Maori history. But I'll have to admit, I really liked the quirky exhibit for Fred and Myrtle's Paua Shell house. If you don't know what it is, look it up. They have a quick 5 minute short on who they were and how ingrained into New Zealand history they were. Then you get to actually display their living room with paua shells all over the walls! Definitely come by for a quick stop. read more

Free admission to a museum, yayyy!! That's a nice surprise . This little museum exhibits the native Maori culture explaining the their lifestyle, food, clothes and weapons. The entrance also shows Moa bird fossils, bones and eggs and nesting sites which I found out to be pretty interesting. Later sections contain artefacts from European colonialism e.g. Capt James Cook and a doctor's journal. There is also a very beautiful Paua shell collection. Some nice wall paintings and a gift shop on the way out. Definitely worth spending 30 mins here . read more

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First off, free admission!! There's a spot for donations and it's always nice to support the culture and arts of a city, but it's not required. Again, it's a donation. Secondly, the museum itself houses a wide selection of topics and there is more than enough to see to occupy a couple of hours. You can learn about the Maori culture or go all the way to Antarctica. The museum is your oyster. Speaking of shellfish there's a nice section dedicated to a couple who decorated their home with paua shells. Anywho, enjoy the free museum, it's pretty awesome. read more

Awesome museum next to the botanical garden. Great Maouri exhibit. They also had a Da Vinci exhibit, corrugated art, period history of Christchurch, and bird exhibits. Great museum, donate when you enter please! read more

Pretty small and rather boring. $5 minimum donation recommended for entry fee. Pass! read more

Canterbury Museum - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Christchurch, CAN

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It's pay by donation to get in. The museum is actually larger than I expected for being on a donation basis. Interesting and a great way to spend time on a rainy afternoon. read more

Really nice museum - everything is really old in here though? Maybe get some new stuff