To get an idea of ​​New Zealand’s culture and history, a visit to the National Museum is essential. For the interesting tour of the National Museum you should plan at least 2 hours. At the entrance you can admire artificially built ships from the Maori era.

Rich ornaments adorned the ships and huts of the Maori. Several meters high works of art are decorated with masks and faces.

With small outrigger boats, the Maori have come over the open sea to New Zealand. The boards show an interesting overview of the native fauna. The size of the former 24 Moa species reached up to three meters. The largest of these ratites, the giant moso Dinornis maximus, most likely did not die until the middle of the last century.

As with the arrival of the Maori from Polynesia, around 900 BC. Human habitation began, there were about 15 species of Moa. The New Zealand Moa is the only wingless bird ever to exist. The Giant Moa, one of eleven Moaarten, is also the largest known bird with a size of 3 meters. Many Moa Bones and Skeletons were found in caves where the Moa had fallen.

The National Museum provides a comprehensive overview of the culture and way of life of the indigenous people of New Zealand. There are original dwellings of the Maori. You can get an impression of the lifestyle of these settlers.

The pictures in the gallery show a Maori with a typical tattoo and an amulet, as well as a depiction of the everyday life of the Stone Age indigenous people of New Zealand.

One can also admire the mask of a Maori and also an ornate Maori deposit. The art of making these ornaments dominate only a few descendants of the Maori today.

The museum also features a warrior in his primeval chain armor, armed with a sword-like bat and percussion instrument. He might well have served as a template for one of the warriors in the epic The Lord of the Rings. Meanwhile, it has probably spread around the world: “Middle-earth” is New Zealand. The museum has exhibited a variety of beautiful old masks. You can see the origin of the Polynesian cultural space.

A sign (height about 1.50 m) is probably also from the Polynesian area. The edges are decorated with kaui – shells. In the middle under the nose the weapons (Hauer) of a boar (boar) are integrated. Which opponent wants to withstand this expression of terror? At the same time a rough mask from very early times with few ornaments, but with a strong expression.

In the gallery you can see beautiful examples of the traditional Maori carving. The figures are about 30 cm high. The eyes are designed with Schildplatt. There is still one recognized New Zealand artist who is dedicated to making these tricks.