Discover Wellington NZ wheelchair accessible attractions, things to do, tours and activities for disabled travelers. Read our informative review to learn if the Te Papa National Museum in Wellington is wheelchair accessible and wheelchair friendly or if Wheelchair Jimmy recommends this attraction be avoided by travelers in wheelchairs.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; “Te Papa Tongarewa” is broadly translatable as “the place of treasures of this land”.
The museum’s principles incorporate the concepts of unified collections; the narratives of culture and place; the idea of forum; the bicultural partnership between indigenous people (Tangata Whenua) and non-indigenous people (Tangata Tiriti); and an emphasis on diversity and multidisciplinary collaboration.
In January 2013 Te Papa management announced the museum would be split into two parts – one operating much as it has in the past, and the other focusing on the future.
- City Attraction Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Fully Accessible Entry: Yes
- Accessible Restrooms Onsite: Yes
- Restrictive Steps: No Restrictive Steps
Jim’s Accessibility Comments:
Our Princess Cruise ship docked at Wellington, New Zealand, and we decided to visit the Te Papa museum, which is Wellington’s top attraction. Wellington is the capital city in New Zealand, a beautiful city and the Te Papa museum is located on Cable street right on the waterfront, about a mile from where the cruise ship docked. We walked / rolled along the waterfront and boardwalk all the way to the museum and it was a good hike – perhaps 15 minutes but it was all level, no steps and good exercise and the waterfront was gorgeous.
Dedicated in 1998 the Te Papa is New Zealand’s national museum and has six floors of exhibitions dedicated to New Zealand’s culture and environment. The museum incorporates the fascinating story of New Zealand’s dramatic landscapes, wonderful exhibits and artifacts highlighting the Maori culture. There’s an art gallery, and most importantly, the museum has the world’s largest specimen of the rare Colossal Squid – which is a terrific but creepy exhibit!
Wellington’s Te Papa has wonderful interactive displays throughout the museum which is fun for young and old alike and is a must see!
This is a modern, exceptionally wheelchair accessible museum. There are no steps, new commercial elevators, wheelchair accessible restrooms, a café and gift store. Next to the Auckland’s Museum, this was my favorite New Zealand museum.
New Zealand Travel
