Auckland Art Gallery

Auckland has myriad incredible galleries, and its oldest is a definite must-visit for all art lovers. The Gallery’s doors opened for the first time in 1888  when it shared the building with Auckland’s Free Public Library. From these beginnings focussing on European and British art, the Gallery now has over 17,000 works in their nationally significant collection. Its holdings include historic and modern New Zealand art, as well as exquisite artworks and sculptures dating as far back as the 11th Century.

Tauranga Art Gallery

A relatively newcomer to New Zealand’s arts scene, the Tauranga Art Gallery is quickly earning a reputation for its high-quality exhibits. A current line-up of displays from New Zealand and around the globe continues to be featured in this modern, central-city space. The Tauranga Art Gallery has recently made history by hosting the largest public display of Banksy originals in the Southern Hemisphere. The Gallery also holds an annual exhibition of the best artwork from local high school students.

Te Papa Museum of New Zealand

What began as the Colonial Museum in 1865, and opened in its current Wellington premises in 1998, with Te Papa celebrating 25 million visitors by 2015. Te Papa is New Zealand’s innovative and interactive national museum with something for every age and interest. Visitors explore the great treasures and stories of the country, its unique natural environment, Maori culture and taonga (treasures), dynamic art heritage,
and its fascinating history.

Christchurch Art Gallery

The major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 led the Christchurch Art Gallery to temporarily close its doors, as the spacious building became the city’s main civil defence headquarters in the aftermath of the quake damage. The Gallery underwent its own set of renovations and repairs, which took a couple of years to complete and it reopened in 2015. In present times, visitors are invited to immerse themselves on the South Island’s most extensive collection of public artworks as well as a regular line-up of contemporary exhibitions.