Visited this wonderful museum near the cruise dock. Great info on the native people, emigration to New Zealand, early exploration as well as all kinds of sailing info and a great display about the America's Cup. You can leave to grab a bite to eat then come back to finish discovering. Spent most of the day here

We cancelled an excursion to the island due to the bad weather on the day in question and visited here instead. The displays were very well thought out and informative. I especially liked the section about the Brits who travelled over under the cheap passage scheme as a cousin of mine did that when I was a child. There is a large section on the America's Cup which was very interesting. We spent several hours here, visiting the cafe at one point and also the shop. There were a couple of points where we had to dodge school parties but otherwise it wasn't crowded. We thought the entrance fee was very reasonable.

Budget two hours. It has everything from the Polynesian settlers to European settlers. Paddling boats, sail, and steam. The actual America's Cup winning boat (inside). Scale models, maps, photos, and artifacts are everywhere.

We were in Auckland for a few days before starting out on another biking/hiking/kayaking trip with Backroads, a US-based adventure company. This museum caught our attention and, after paying under $60 US for the both of us found ourselves in an amazing museum with a one hour sailing excursion in the harbor. Now, as it turns out, there was no WIND for the sailing..but the boat had an engine and about 40 other people and I enjoyed a nice tour of the Auckland Harbor, big bridge, etc. The museum itself is amazing….it takes you from a LONG way back in local history all the way up to the America’s Cup races. For the money spent this was an excellent day adventure and…if you walk slow…you will enjoy, learn and absorb more information than you ever thought possible. it’s an easy walk from any of the piers as well as downtown. There are also a number of local bars/restaurants that you can enjoy; the museum ticket allows you to come and go as you please all day long. This is a “must do” if you are in Auckland.

Located right on the Port. One of the best museums we have been to around the world. Has something for all ages interactive displays and a surprise around nearly every corner. We loved this place and highly recommend it for all travellers, Wether your a maritime enthusiast or just like history in general both ancient and recent. 5 stars 🌟.

This is one of the best museum experiences we have had anywhere. NZ is famous for sailing and rugby and this museum certainly represents the sailing and nautical heritage of NZ very well. Many of the exhibits are interactive and there were so many exhibits overall: a very rich collection of life size boats and artifacts from the Polynesia / Maori migration times to the present day Olympics and America Cup races. The special exhibit on the Blakelegacywas moving. We also enjoyed the harbour sailing on the Ted Ashby very much. It is commendable that the cruise sailing crew are volunteers (just the captain being an employee) and that the Ted Ashby itself was built by volunteers a few years ago. The pleasant museum staff informed us that the entry ticket was valid for two days. Highly recommended.

The museum looks small and unassuming from the outside but in this case, looks were deceiving as we spent a good few hours here and learned a lot. In fact it was a brilliant introduction to New Zealand and how it was settled by different seafaring folk at different times in history. Some really interesting facts and fascinating stories of those travelling by sea to and from NZ. Well worth a visit.

We regretted not having sufficient time to see much of this museum but there is lots to see and learn here. In spite of rushing through the museum, there were lots of vessels and boats on exhibit. The setting at the harbor was spectacular.

A local recommended the museum as I have an interest in maritime SAR. The museum is on the heritage pier on Auckland Waterfront and seems unprepossessing. But once you get inside, gallery after gallery unfold in front of you. The impressive parts were the NZ America’s Cup winning vessels and the technology involved. Sir Peter Blake has a section commemorating his life. There are many models of ships with their history. There are Māori vessels which were very impressive and a section showing graphically what immigration the NZ must have been like. I had not appreciated just how much NZ armed forces played in so many wars. Would I go again or recommend to others? Yes! Allow 2.5-3 hours.

With a few hours to kill before heading to airport on way home, I knew the Maritime Museum would have some fabulous exhibits not only on Māori culture but other aspects of life on the sea for this Island nation. There is something here for everyone from boat fans to families. The Americas Cup exhibit was almost as wonderful as the Māori section. Highly recommend