Otago Museum - Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand - History Museums on Waymarking.com

Otago Museum has a diverse and impressive collection including global and local perspectives on human history, geological history, nautical history and the animal kingdom (the latter being internationally significant). Admission is by donation.

It is one of Dunedin's leading attractions, with over 480,000 visitors each year, and has one of the largest collections in New Zealand. Natural science specimens and humanities artefacts from Otago nd the world form the basis for long-term gallery displays, while exhibitions on a wide range of subjects change regularly. An interactive science centre within the Museum includes a large, immersive tropical butterfly rainforest environment.

The Otago Museum first opened to the public in 1868. The initial collection consisted of material from the 1865 New Zealand Exhibition (held in Dunedin).

Largely due to generous benefactors and judicious acquisition strategies, the Otago Museum has one of the most significant museum collections in New Zealand.

Many of the Museum’s key benefactors were part of the same eminent Dunedin family. Among them, German-born businessman Willi Fels had an especially long and impactful relationship with the Museum. Fels contributed many items personally, as well as establishing a purchasing fund, facilitating acquisitions made by others, and encouraging others to pass on valuable items to the Museum. He also coordinated the fundraising efforts for the construction of the wing ultimately named in his honour.

In natural science, the Museum’s holdings in insect and type specimens are internationally significant, with the spider collections including specimens from the wider Pacific area as well as a representative collection of arachnids from around the world. Marine invertebrate specimens number in the 40,000s, while 30,000 bird specimens (including nests and eggs) are held. The moa collection is among the world’s best, with two out of the three complete moa eggs in the world held.

In the humanities, the collection has strengths in both everyday and art items from all over Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia, as well as an extensive collection of Maori taoka. From the rest of the world, the broad ethnographic collections include particularly significant collections of edged weapons and armour from India, ancient coins from the classical world, Islamic ceramics, and Ashanti goldweights. Wide-ranging collections of pottery, jewellery, costume, glassware, clocks, furniture, stamps, guns, cameras and stone tools are also held.

Theme: A very diverse range of exhibits including global and local perspectives on human history (from ancient Egypt to modern Maori life to human settlement), geological history, nautical history and animal kingdom (3,000 land animals, insects, birds and water animals). Street Address: 419 Great King Street, Dunedin Food Court: yes Gift Shop: yes Hours of Operation: Open daily, 10am–5pm; Closed Christmas Day Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Large Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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