Otago Museum

Welcome to one of the world’s best museums! Discover the richness and vibrancy of the southern region through outstanding collections covering culture, nature and science. Whether you have an hour to spare or a day to enjoy, you'll find something to inspire, enlighten or excite you.

Don’t miss Dunedin’s hottest attraction – the Tropical Forest at Discovery World. Enter a lush, living, tropical environment and come face to face with some of nature’s most beautiful butterflies. Hundreds of these enchanting creatures roam free all around you – some even stopping (on you) to say hello!

For a truly uplifting experience, head to an eternal summer at the Otago Museum.

• Maritime Gallery

Maritime history is an important part of the New Zealand story, and this gallery illustrates significant times in the history of Otago and New Zealand.

Assisted by the Otago Maritime Society, the Otago Museum presents this world of nautical records and artefacts, among which is an example of the famous old-style copper helmeted diver’s suit, almost identical to the original invented in 1839.

You can’t miss the huge 18-metre-long fin whale skeleton, articulated in 1884, that is displayed in the centre of the Maritime gallery. One of our oldest icons, the fin whale skeleton was found on a beach in Nelson at the entrance to the Waimea River in 1882.

You’ll also find one of the best collections of ship models in the southern hemisphere, most of which are the original builders’ models of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, whose origins lie in Dunedin.