You could write reams about all the fun, fascinating things to see and do here, in a museum thoughtfully designed to appeal to a wide range of visitors, including children. But let me just leave you with 2 takeaways about aspects of my visit that I found especially enjoyable. I hope they will encourage you to go there while in Auckland.
1. You will learn more here about the experience of those who take to the sea for work or play, their vast array of vessels, and the ever-changing conditions of water and weather they confront, than you you could ever imagine in one modest-sized museum.
We had planned a 2-3 hour visit and ended up spending most of the day here, including an hour-long harbor cruise on the heritage scow, the Ted Ashby. The views of Auckland's skyline and the huge yacht basin marina were splendid. We even saw a bungee jumper leap and spring up-and-down from the harbor bridge.
On another day, you might cruise in the motor launch Nautilus or the small 19th c. steam tug, the SS Puke. Check them out in advance on the docks next to the museum. These are made available by the museum but require reservations and have a separate charge, so plan ahead.
To learn about the mighty power of the sea, you can go to the exhibition on the Jules Verne Trophy and watch the stunning 48-minute video of the 1994 effort by the yacht ENZA NEW ZEALAND to win the race for the fastest circumnavigation of the world on a route that includes both Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. They did win, BTW. But wow was it ever a struggle!
There actually is plenty of exciting video in this museum, including one all about the famous wreck of the HMS Orpheus and another showing some astounding mishaps connected with America's Cup, which Auckland will be hosting in March 2021.
Just to note, elsewhere in the museum, you can see the real thing: NZ's "Black Magic," the 1995 winner of America's Cup, as well as the afore-mentioned "Enza New Zealand." Both are impressive. And there are a variety of other sailing vessels, so big you can't begin to fit them in the frame of a photo.
Don't miss the short history of Maori vessels, too, including life-size replicas that help you help you understand how these people covered vast distances over water to become NZ's first human inhabitants.
2. You'll also find a good many "you are there" and "hands on" types of exhibits that appeal to the child in all of us. To dramatize the story of immigrants from all over the world who braved many challenges to sail thousands of miles to a new home in New Zealand, there is a full-sized replica of typical 3rd Class quarters that you walk through. The "room" actually creaks and rocks like an actual ship when you're in it.
Nearby is a storyboard about real immigrants. Pick a card, read the bio of the person name, and then walk over to spin the wheel that will tell you that person's history. I picked the card of John Denvir, who immigrated in 1925 from Glasgow, Scotland, to Christchurch NZ on the ship Rotorua with his family. He was just 12 years old.
Spinning the wheel, I discovered this lad's "fate." He was a WWII veteran and POW who escaped twice to join partisan bands in what became Yugoslavia. He recovered from injuries and was a decorated war hero. He returned to his wife and children in NZ and ran taxis in Temuka until his death at the age of 60.
The display also characterizes each person's "fate" in a few words at the end. Denvir's read "A valiant man." Not every story is happy. But all are illuminating about the immigrant experience in NZ.
There is even a post-it board with paper and pens inviting immigrants and/or their descendants to write and pin their family stories. I found an interesting one about a man whose grandfather came from Cairo and had an association with the Italian inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi when he was in Alexandria. The grandfather became a NZ postal employee working in telecommunications.
The high value placed on the experiences of real people is one of the things I like most about this museum.
IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING: Since The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron won the 2017 America's Cup and Auckland will therefore be hosting the 2021 race, let me say that there IS a small exhibit on America's Cup at the museum. However, it has not yet been updated to reflect these recent events, although it is still worth visiting. I hope it will be expanded and improved ahead of the 2021 race, when so many international visitors will be in Auckland for that event.
ON A LAST NOTE: If you are here with children, you'll be happy to know that on the dockside running along the museum there is large sandbox with buckets, shovels and other toys, and next to it a child-sized toy boat for the little ones to play "pretend." Nice touch.
Highly recommended.