Description of the attraction
The Voyager Maritime Museum is New Zealand's most prominent maritime museum. It is located in Auckland, on the shores of Freemans Bay. The museum contains information on all aspects of sailing in New Zealand, from the Maori canoes to the legendary Black Magic and Team New Zealand yachts.
The Museum contains several exhibitions, united by various themes. Te Waka Theater is a ten-minute animated film about the arrival of the first emigrants to New Zealand over a thousand years ago. At that time, several small tropical islands in central Polynesia were home to the Maori Indians. Te Waka shows up every 15 minutes throughout the day.
Closer to the Shore exhibits showcases the early European discovery of New Zealand. These amazing voyages of the Dutch, French, British, Spaniards across half the world are an important part of New Zealand's maritime history. The highlight of the exhibition is the restored 19th century ship Rewa, which was used for trade.
Collection - "New Beginnings" tells about the history of emigrants in the 1850s and 60s. About how people left their homes, families, property and went to the other end of the world for a new life. A special feature of the exhibition is the faithfully reproduced cockpits of the ships on which the emigrants traveled.
The Black Magic of the High Seas section is dedicated to Sir Peter Blake - the most famous New Zealand sailor, yachtsman, winner of the world's most popular marine competitions and environmentalist. The Marine Art Gallery is a collection of paintings by the best New Zealand marine painters. The gallery reflects the true spirit of the sea power. The exhibition "New Zealanders and the Coast" tells about how specific and strong the connection between the people of New Zealand and the sea is, how much navigation has influenced the culture and worldview of every inhabitant of the country.
The museum has its own small fleet of three sailing ships, some of which are faithful copies of old ships, and some are restored originals. All ships are on the move, and there is even an opportunity to ride them.
Every year the museum hosts an extraordinary festival that lasts for several days. During the festival, any visitor can not only admire the most beautiful ships, but also board each of them. The eventful program of the festival ends with fireworks.
