Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific: Exploring the Sub-Antarctic Islands

28 DEC 2024 – 4 JAN 2025 You won’t find them mentioned in a travel brochure on your high street; you won’t find them in most guidebooks, you probably don’t know anyone that has ever been there and they don’t even appear on some maps of the New Zealand’s South Pacific – these are the ‘forgotten islands’. Despite their low profile, they are among the most remarkable wildlife reserves in the
Southern Ocean, designated UNESCO World Heritage sites and afforded the highest protection of any nature reserves in New Zealand. Remote, uninhabited and on no regular shipping route, access is further restricted by a strict Management Plan which limits the number of people allowed ashore each year.

Summer Day Trip: Wairarapa Fault

Te Papa 55 Cable Street, Wellington

Join us for a day trip this summer under the expert guidance of geologist, paleontologist and Emeritus Scientist Hamish Campbell.  We will take a leisurely drive around the harbour, as Hamish explains the Wellington Harbour, Wellington Fault, and Crustal and Active processes.  We will stop at Featherston, before heading to on Ocean Beach on the Wairarapa coast, examining aspects of the Wairarapa Fault along the way. Next, we'll take a walk along the track to Mukamuka Valley, and then find a nice place to stop and enjoy our lunch.

$120.00

Tour of the Classics Museum

Classics Museum, Victoria University

The Classics Museum of Victoria University houses a treasure trove of ancient Greek and Roman artefacts: vases, coins, sculpture, objects for use in daily life,
like this above pictured Carthage Tetrdrachm, dating back to 410 – 146 BC from the ancient civilisation of Carthage, one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classical world. In this tour, Dr Diana Burton will show us how the collection offers a window into the world of the ancients, and you’ll also get a chance to handle some objects yourself!

$25.00 – $30.00

Hills Hats Tour – 30 April

**SOLD OUT** Join us for an exclusive tour of Hills Hats, a Wellington institution since 1875, personally guided by Rosie Smuts-Kennedy, and a unique opportunity to be fitted for your […]

Sold Out $20.00 – $25.00

What Lies Beneath – Archaeological Walk

Te Papa 55 Cable Street, Wellington

Mary O’Keeffe is a professional archaeologist who has been lurking about digging around under Wellington for about 30 years.  In this walk and talk she’ll take you to some of […]

Hills Hats Tour – 7 May

Join us for an exclusive tour of Hills Hats, a Wellington institution since 1875, personally guided by Rosie Smuts-Kennedy, and a unique opportunity to be fitted for your own hat! […]

Get Tickets $20.00 – $25.00 -2 tickets left

Japan’s National Parks, Art and Culture Tour

14 – 29 May 2025 Heritage Expeditions, pioneers in authentic small ship expedition cruising, invite you to join them on an unforgettable circumnavigation of Japan’s main island Honshu and exploration of its wilderness, arts, culture and rich history with special guest and renowned multi-disciplinary artist, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Lisa Reihana. Currently offering a 15% discount until 28 February.  This voyage has been specially designed to explore and experience Japan’s seamless blend of ancient customs with ultramodern living, incredible wilderness, wildlife and renowned arts as we cruise from iconic cities to remote coastlines and islands.

A Waikato Pilgrimage

5-8 June 2025 This tour offers an insight into the role of the church and the early settlement of the Waikato region. Led by Sir David Moxon; a former Archbishop […]

Australia Top End Adventure

1 – 11 August 2025
Immerse yourself in Aboriginal culture and learn from indigenous guides about ancient rock art and their way of life and
experience the remote natural beauty of the “Top End” of Australia.

Starting and ending in Darwin, a city rich in Aboriginal Art and culture, this tour will take you deep into the vast wilderness of Arnhemland, defined by rocky escarpments, gorges, rivers and waterfalls. You will be staying 2 nights at a Safari Lodge at Mt Borradaile, a registered sacred site to explore rock shelters with stunning rock art, savannah woodlands, pristine waterways and observe wildlife, before heading to the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park. Here you will experience a guided tour through Ubirr Aboriginal rock art and a cruise on Yellow Water, a tranquil wetland which is home to a diversity of flora and fauna. Then the tour will take you to Katherine for a visit of Nitmiluk Cultural Center and to experience the Nabilil Dreaming Sunset cruise. Discover the stories of the Jawoyn people against the magnificent backdrop of Nitmiluk Gorge. You will also visit Cutta Cutta Caves and Edith Falls before returning back to Darwin. Another highlight of this tour is a visit to Tiwi Islands, meet and engage with an aboriginal community famous for their traditional lifestyle, stunning artwork, vibrant fabrics and textiles. This amazing tour also includes a full day trip from Darwin to Lichtfield National Park, an area of jaw dropping beauty, spectacular water falls and enormous Magnetic Termite mounds. An historic walking tour of Darwin on the last day concludes this tour.
Are you ready for your Top End Adventure?

2025 Chatham Islands Excursions

Since 2002 these excursions to the Chatham Islands has been offered to, and enjoyed by, many Friends of Te Papa. Touring with Hamish and Chris is a rare opportunity to visit the Chathams in a safe and convivial context. The plan is to visit Chatham and Pitt Island, sea and air conditions permitting.