I know it's called a War Memorial Museum and there is a section dedicated to that topic. Beautiful…read morehalls and displays of remembrance. However, it shows so much more. Actually it can be quite confusing. The are halls, corridors, several floors, rooms dedicated to various themes and you can get lost in there. Not that the museum is really huge, but the the rooms interconnect in some way that defies rhyme or reason. Still I enjoyed my stay here and especially the Maori experience. Very educational as well as entertaining. Please follow the performers' requests as this is a cultural experience and you should be mindful. I highly recommend it. There was also a shark exhibit going on and some sort of student activity while I was visiting. This place is a hodgepodge of all things Auckland and New Zealand in general. Perfect for folks with a short attention span, because there is something new and different around every corner.

When we arrived after a hard uphill walk from the harbor to learn that the Maori Court and Pacific…read moreExperience exhibits were closed for a multiyear renovation, and were told that a discounted price of $27! was being charged, we felt a bit ripped off. But there were a number of fine exhibits so we felt the visit was still worthwhile -- but a more substantial discount would very much be warranted

Fascinating ! Highly recommend. I got bored of reading so I took pics to read later. There are some…read morereally cool touches I won't describe so I don't spoil it for you.

Right on the harbor, this large new Maritime Museum presented the history of New Zealand Māori &…read moreEuropeans on the water. There was a cafe and large gift shop. This museum opened in 1993 and houses the most extensive collection of naval artifacts in New Zealand. There were many exhibits, concentrating on: Maori vessels & navigation, European voyages of discovery, Settlement & immigration, Early coastal trading, Whaling & sealing, commercial shipping, piloting & coastguard services, Navigation &surveying, nautical arts & crafts,Recreation & sporting maritime activities, trades, and harbor &port history.

This museum had a good amount of stuff to keep a car loving two year old busy and a nice smaller…read morebaby play area for our nine month old to crawl around that was soft/pretty safe. The outdoor playground kept us busy for a good while. Not a huge place for kids to explore but good for a quiet morning. There's also a real tram/train that you can take with your ticket (the wait was too long for us so you might want to look ahead at the times).

I will call this facility a hidden gem . There are two locations connected by an electronic trolley…read moreline that does not cost to ride. One facility is inside a converted aircraft anger and contains a lot of older aircraft. The other area is 9 different buildings that cover a range of topics like older style communications, vintage automobiles, water pumps, and most interestingly telecommunications. My expectations were very low and I think this place is a terrific venue for people to visit.

We stayed at a nice bed & breakfast inn next to this museum (got a discount for that)…read more This museum has dozens of displays about the local kauri trees, life during the Victorian times in this area, hundreds of pieces of kauri wood and its gum, etc. You could spend 1-4 hours depending on how much you want to learn. Tickets are good for two consecutive days. Their gift shop was excellent. Friendly employees.

Learned so much about the Kauri trees and gum that I was unaware of. Beautifully presented.read more

Whittaker's is a weird and wonderful place. It's a music museum, sometimes just referred to as 'the…read morepiano museum' by locals. It shares the Artworks Building, along with the Waiheke Community Art Gallery and the cafe downstairs, so you can get a good afternoon's entertainment from the one spot. The Museum does live displays of it's many old and strange instruments, and has a DVD and educational material too, so it's one of those quite good 'education disguised as fun' type places. Which I guess means it's a really good museum. A visit here is a definite must for music lovers or those who fancy antiques, or anyone just generally curious about what the heck kind of sound those odd contraptions are going to make. But seriously, this place is a rich resource that Waiheke is very lucky to have, and a huge amount of time and effort go into taking care of the instruments and making them available for Joe Bloggs to enjoy.

Great aviation exhibit. Lots of planes you can walk up to and under some. Had a WWII exhibit with…read morechalkboard, flight map and audio. Very cool. Had a helicopter mock up that was interactive and you sit in the pilot seat with the controls. Can be reached from MOTAT and then take a street car. The aviation museum is included in the MOTAT entrance price.

This place is part of Motat but in a different building all together which you can visit separately…read moreand when I went I got in for free. I'm a big plane fan and I only discovered this place existed a short time ago. It really is an excellent aviation collection showcasing so much history and magnificence I could seriously look around for ages. My favourite displays were the Lancaster Bomber an oldie but a goodie and the newer Skyhawk which put simply looks incred. If you have young boys or even girls (it can happen) that are into planes you really won't be disappointed if you bring them here. We parked right outside so there was no hassle involved with that and it's just a quiet peaceful place where you are left up to your own devices to explore and learn, fantastic!