Southland Museum and Art Gallery
Southland Museum and Art Gallery
Southland Museum and Art Gallery
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Southland Museum & Art Gallery is currently closed. We apologise for any inconvenience. The tuatara are still able to be viewed from the outside of the building – upon arrival please follow the directional information.
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4.5
382 reviews
Excellent
222
Very good
127
Average
25
Poor
3
Terrible
5
TanRej
Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Canada562 contributions
Mar 2019
The museum was not open, but we went to see the Tuatara. These can be viewed at the back of the building. We could clearly see about seven tuatara in their enclosures inside the building. Free to view and just amazing to see these incredible animals.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jaimies625
Auckland, New Zealand113 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
They have ongoing education programmes for the kids. Must meet Henry the Tuatara. The care is open daily from 10am, serves great coffee.
Written 6 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dranujkiran
New Delhi, India1,008 contributions
Mar 2013 • Family
Run of the mill tourists like us don't go to Invercargill . It is way off the radar . We planned to spend a night there , by default , to take the Shark Dive off Bluff early in the morning . Imagine our consternation when told that the dive had been cancelled due to bad weather and we had to stay in Invercargill for a day without any plans .
This eclectic Museum was recommended by the ever reliable Rough Guide so we decided to spend the spare time and discovered this wonderful place .
Not to be missed
1] The Minerva statue in the forecourt .
2] The statue of the living fosssil Tuatara in the foreground along with the LIVING FOSSIL TREE - Ginko biloba - just next to it . Both are from the age of Dinosaurs
3] The amazing display of resident and breeding Tuataras on the ground floor . This is the best place to see one in NZ and there will surely be one or two obliging '' dinos '' out on view .
4] Amazing collection of Maori artefacts and jewellery and how it is made .
5] Giant Pounami greenstone boulder - touch and feel the '' Mana ''
6] Lovely Queens Park with its formal rose garden , tree park , statuary , aviary and mini zoo .
Entry is unrestricted [ donation of '' gold '' coin - 1 or 2 NZD requested ]
Parking is free and spacious .
Highly recommended attraction that took us by surprise on a day of great disappointment .
This eclectic Museum was recommended by the ever reliable Rough Guide so we decided to spend the spare time and discovered this wonderful place .
Not to be missed
1] The Minerva statue in the forecourt .
2] The statue of the living fosssil Tuatara in the foreground along with the LIVING FOSSIL TREE - Ginko biloba - just next to it . Both are from the age of Dinosaurs
3] The amazing display of resident and breeding Tuataras on the ground floor . This is the best place to see one in NZ and there will surely be one or two obliging '' dinos '' out on view .
4] Amazing collection of Maori artefacts and jewellery and how it is made .
5] Giant Pounami greenstone boulder - touch and feel the '' Mana ''
6] Lovely Queens Park with its formal rose garden , tree park , statuary , aviary and mini zoo .
Entry is unrestricted [ donation of '' gold '' coin - 1 or 2 NZD requested ]
Parking is free and spacious .
Highly recommended attraction that took us by surprise on a day of great disappointment .
Written 26 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barry
Whakatāne, New Zealand25 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
I grew up in Invercargill and visited regularly then as a kid and a number of times since. It is a fantastic museum. Sadly it is closed now and Invercargill has lost one of its real assets.
Written 16 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael-4551
Caloundra, Australia5,528 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
Visited on Monday 2nd May. What an unusual building to house the Museum and Art Gallery. We were disappointed to see it closed for renovations during our time in Invercargill.
Written 1 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stephl301
37 contributions
Oct 2015 • Solo
I didn't check out most of the museum, but the Tuatara exhibit was definitely worth it. I missed Tuataras in Zealandia and the Wellington Zoo because it was too cold, so it was great to finally see them. And there were a bunch of them, from little babies to ancient and massive Henry. I showed up as they were taking a few out for an informational talk, so we got to touch them and talk to an expert about them.
Written 17 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RayandSue68
Auckland Central, New Zealand35 contributions
Sept 2014 • Friends
We decided to do a quick stop off to see the Tuataras at the Southland museum and ended up spending over an hour there! Immediately we walked into the museum hubby got sidetracked looking at Ivan Mauger's bikes, and then the Burt Munroe display and video! From the roaring forties, to the shipwrecks and victorian displays, we really enjoyed our time wandering through. Even only seeing part of the large Tuatara, who was hiding in his cave, didn't dampen our enjoyment of the Southland museum.
Written 14 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Naomi C
Wellesley, MA223 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
Although several rooms sounded interesting, we made a bee line for the tuataras (unique to New Zealand) -- this is the only place we could see these reptiles alive. The display was great, but we were disappointed that there was no indication anywhere in the front of the museum (or iSite) that the animals were there; we had been told to look for them, and had to search to the very back of the building. There is a tuatara sculpture outside the museum, so clearly they are considered special, but it is a real disservice to visitors to not make their presence more obvious. This is an easily remedied problem and I hope future visitors will be enticed to explore.
Written 7 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amysmum578
Kawerau, New Zealand851 contributions
Apr 2013 • Solo
Some very good exhibits, definitely the place to go on a cold wet invercargill day (which was everyday of my visit)
Written 28 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alistair D
Brisbane, Australia10 contributions
May 2013 • Family
Viewing the fastest Indian memorabilia after having been to E Hayes & Son was a fitting finale. Parking was a dream at the museum. the tuatera display was really interesting.
Written 26 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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