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National Transport and Toy Museum

National Transport and Toy Museum

National Transport and Toy Museum
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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  • Jobehan
    48 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing experience for all ages!
    This is so worth the money for entry we started at the start and we’re amazed by the selection of toys, from Star Wars to Barbie to a fabulous selection of 80’s toys. The list could go on…and that’s just one room! There are four hangers in total and each one of them holds a range of toys, collections and transportation, including cars, planes and trains. There is an amazing collection on pedal cars for both young and old and a couple of old planes that you can go into. You could easily spend a whole day wondering around looking and exploring, always finding something new that you hadn’t seen before. To think that this is the collection of one man is pretty spectacular! Well recommend going and seeing this!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 October 2023
  • Keianne13
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom231 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A unique. must see museum for all ages.
    This museum is a treasure trove of vehicles, aircraft and toys collected over many decades by just one family. It will delight both young and old and the Toy Shop is an Aladin’s cave which may prove irresistible. A great venue for a rainy day but equally enjoyable when the sun shines especially for the outdoor exhibits. Highly recommended.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 6 March 2024
  • tekohiwi
    Whitianga, New Zealand599 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit - young & old.
    What a wonderful,collection of everything imaginable. So many childhood memories were bought back along with toys etc our children had or wanted. Well worth stopping for but make sure you have plenty of time. It was a very wet day so we didn’t get to see what was outside so we may have to come back. Highly recommend it.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 May 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles628 reviews
Excellent
343
Very good
193
Average
63
Poor
15
Terrible
15

Rachel S
Wellington, New Zealand31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2021 • Couples
There’s something here for everyone. We weren’t expecting such extensive collections of toys, cars, bikes, trucks, planes, household items...and more. It was a trip back in to our childhood and youth. Could be overwhelming and not everything would interest everyone but when you’re done or need a rest and refreshment the cafe has a nice shady outdoor space to sit.
Written 17 January 2021
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.

Mark S
Auckland Central, New Zealand10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
This place is WAY beyond expectations. The variety of "collections" or just collected stuff from the past few centuries is astonishing. Some is in pristine, restored condtion, and where they have sufficient pieces, they're in collections. Other items are as is (in whatever condition) and are just 'there', standing alone as part of a broader tapestry. From spoons to a range of old bank teller machines that morph into early Commodores, Apples and PCs, Firetrucks, Lego, Planes, cars, Barbie dolls ... seriously, the variety is too broad to describe. In my experience it's an unparallelled (sp) collection of history that will have something (many somethings) that appeal to anyone (male, female, old and young). The highlight for us (of the many highlights) were the "pedal" cars at the end (BTW, try the local beers/cider at the museum 'cafe'). They are fun, rustic and the perfect complement to a surprising and magical experience. Take the time to visit this Museum. It's not the polished experience of Motat (Auckland) then Smithsonian (Washington) or the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (Brussels). It's something else. It's unique and it's brilliant.
Written 28 September 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.

didee62
Christchurch, New Zealand283 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Couples
This place is amazing,and the entry fee is great value for what you see and the time you can spend reminiscing over everything.You could spend a whole day here.Do not drive past as if you do you will miss seeing something very special that we are lucky to have in NZ.We have seen many toy and transport museums around the world but this has to be the best we have seen 10/10 to the trust/volunteers for giving NZ a great tourist attraction
Written 29 April 2021
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.

budjo70
Merriwa, Australia96 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Friends
Was a little hesitant initially at the price of entry but so glad we did go in. It brought back so many memories from my youth walking through the toy section. These guys have the largest collection of vehicles I have ever seen. They range from WW2 Indian motorcycle to Korean jet fighters, fur covered VW to centurion tanks. Fire engines from all over the world to peddle power carts.
Written 4 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.

James B
Whanganui, New Zealand59 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Solo
Went to see Air Chathams Convair 580 ZK-CIB and had a pleasant hour or so wandering the exhibits.
➕️ the sheer number of vehicles
➖️ the sheer number of vehicles - they're stuffed in every available space with seemingly little regard to matching types & eras. The large aircraft in particular are hidden and walled off by assorted cars parked so close you can't get between them or properly see/appreciate either cars or aircraft. I'd rather have seen the aircraft outside and fewer, spaced out car exhibits with QR codes to wiki info on the models displayed. (Less quantity and more quality)
Still there seems to be major construction ongoing so I hope the current overcrowding is going to be resolved in the medium term.
Written 17 December 2022
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.

JanuaryLantern
Swindon, United Kingdom80 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023 • Couples
The exhibits are crammed in haphazardly with no logic to the layout and a paucity of information with a great deal of unlabeled items on display. The whole place looks like the owner and staff just don't care. The exhibits look uncared for and clearly haven't been checked for a long time. Some information signs are damaged and illegible. The areas to which the public have access are scruffy.
It looks like masses of unrelated items have been acquired/donated and the museum management/owners are determined to display as much as possible with no care how this is done. There are some real gems amongst the items, great potential but very poor execution.
There is no room to walk around many of the exhibits. It is impossible to access many of the areas in a wheelchair (we witnessed this first-hand today as we saw a family with a young child in a wheelchair trying to negotiate their way around exhibits in one of the hangars).
There is only one toilet facility for the entire, large area.
We were visiting from UK and have been to several transportation-related museums in New Zealand (Gore, Blenheim, Invercargill) and other museums which have all been carefully curated with items exhibited in an engaging, imaginative and informative fashion. This museum is awful by comparison.
A visit to a toy museum should be a joyful experience - this really was the opposite.
What a shame.
Written 19 January 2023
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.

Andrew N
Hokitika, New Zealand132 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Couples
This is the best museum of this type we have been to brought back so many memories from the toys to seeing my first ever car we spent around 4 hours looking around so much to to see.well worth the entry price of $19 dollars.congratulations to the owners and thankyou for shearing your collection.a must see and highly recommend
Written 13 November 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.

Nick Burdett
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
Love coming to this place, even tho it's only the second time I have been through the Museum. I highly recommend this place if you are into anything with wheels, lots of toys & vehicles to look at & take photos of. You can even buy toys in the Toy shop on site.
Written 5 March 2022
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.

Jobehan
48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
This is so worth the money for entry we started at the start and we’re amazed by the selection of toys, from Star Wars to Barbie to a fabulous selection of 80’s toys. The list could go on…and that’s just one room!
There are four hangers in total and each one of them holds a range of toys, collections and transportation, including cars, planes and trains.
There is an amazing collection on pedal cars for both young and old and a couple of old planes that you can go into.
You could easily spend a whole day wondering around looking and exploring, always finding something new that you hadn’t seen before.
To think that this is the collection of one man is pretty spectacular!
Well recommend going and seeing this!
Written 6 October 2023
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.

Keianne13
Edinburgh, UK231 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
This museum is a treasure trove of vehicles, aircraft and toys collected over many decades by just one family. It will delight both young and old and the Toy Shop is an Aladin’s cave which may prove irresistible. A great venue for a rainy day but equally enjoyable when the sun shines especially for the outdoor exhibits. Highly recommended.
Written 6 March 2024
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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NATIONAL TRANSPORT AND TOY MUSEUM (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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