For 150 years we have been telling stories of Waitaha Canterbury, now the Museum is rewriting its own story by embarking on an exciting new journey of redevelopment. The Rolleston Avenue site is closed but you can visit our cool pop-up Museum at 66 Gloucester Street.

Visit the Canterbury Museum Pop-Up for collection highlights and visitor favourites while the main Museum is being redeveloped.

For a taste of Canterbury Museum visit our pop-up Museum at 66 Gloucester Street, as well as Quake City, a special exhibition telling stories from the Canterbury earthquakes, and Ravenscar House Museum, an extraordinary collection of New Zealand art and objects house in a purpose-built contemporary house.

Explore Canterbury Museum's treasure trove of riches. Our collections have engaged & delighted visitors from all over the world for almost 150 years.

Canterbury Museum has been collecting, researching and caring for taonga (treasures) from Canterbury and around the world for more than 150 years. From moa to motorcycles and paintings to pounamu, this is just a taste of the 2.3 million objects in the collection.

The Museum was first established in the Provincial Council Buildings in 1867 featuring geology specimens collected by geologists Dr (later Sir) Julius von Haast and Dr Ferdinand Hochstetter. The Museum was first open to the public on 3 December 1867.

Visitors will rediscover favourites like The Christchurch Street and The Paua Shell House. The Antarctic Gallery and Discovery will be reimagined and there'll be new exhibitions and spaces to explore.

The Canterbury Museum Pop-up is a short walk from Cathedral Square and central Christchurch hotels. From the pop-up Museum it is a short stroll to Quake City, Ravenscar House Museum, Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Arts Gallery, The Christchurch Arts …

Quake City, Canterbury Museum's special exhibition, tells the stories of the earthquakes which rocked the region in 2010 and 2011. Discover some of the taonga (treasures) which defined the quakes including the spire of the Christ Church Cathedral and the former railway station clocks.

The Museum was first established in the Provincial Council Buildings in 1867 featuring geology specimens collected by geologists Dr (later Sir) Julius von Haast and Dr Ferdinand Hochstetter. The Museum was first open to the public on 3 December 1867. Haast became the first Director in …