Māori cultural performance with museum admission
A Māori cultural performance led by indigenous artists and orators, plus general admission to Auckland Museum, valid for one day.
Check dates and fares ↗
Why this museum
Why hear it in this museum
A museum on the rim of a volcano
Auckland Museum's neoclassical building stands on Observatory Hill, the remains of a dormant volcano. The Auckland Domain around it is the remains of the explosion crater and most of the tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano, and the museum sits on the crater rim.
Led by indigenous artists and orators
The museum describes the session as an introduction to Māori culture by a group of esteemed indigenous artists and orators. You hear songs, see poi skills in action and learn about the endurance of Māori people through history.
Living taonga
Taonga is the Māori word for a treasure, or something prized. The museum presents Māori culture as a living taonga of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the session carries that title.
Treated as tapu
The museum says the session is tapu, which it translates as sacred, and briefs visitors on protocols before they enter the auditorium. The haka is explained: its origins, traditional uses and differences.
Vocabulary of the form
The parts of a kapa haka performance
Kapa haka means the action songs of Māori and the groups that perform them. One performance joins several kinds of song and dance into a single piece, and these six are the kinds usually named.
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Waiata tira
The warm-up song
A choral piece that warms up the voices and introduces the group to the audience, in a manner that is generally light and positive.
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Whakaeke
The entrance song
A choral piece, often used to comment on a social issue of the day or to commemorate someone, or simply as the entrance song that announces the group's arrival.
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Waiata-ā-ringa
The action song
Literally a song of hands or arms. Arm and hand actions embellish and reinforce the sung poetry, with the trembling of the hands called wiri.
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Poi
Balls on cords
Balls attached to cords are swung in synchrony, in a variety of figures and rhythms, while the performers sing. The sound of the poi striking the hands is part of the music.
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Haka
The challenge
Used to make a point, honour someone or something, tell a story or express an emotion, and performed by both men and women. Māori scholars consider it erroneous to call haka typically war dances.
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Whakawātea
The closing song
A choral piece used to farewell the audience or make a final point before departing the stage.
The museum's session is its own programme, described as songs, poi and storytelling with the haka explained, and the museum may vary programmes. Treat this as the vocabulary of the form, not a running order.
The building
The museum behind the ticket
The ticket opens Auckland War Memorial Museum, also called Auckland Museum, whose Māori name is Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
- 1852the collections begin
- The museum's collections and exhibits began in 1852. Its Māori name is Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
- 1929the war memorial building
- A neoclassical design reminiscent of Greco-Roman temples won an architectural competition for a purpose-built museum and war memorial. Construction was completed in 1929.
- 2007the dome and atrium
- The second stage of the museum's extension, finished in 2007, built a great dome and atrium within the central courtyard.
- 2020Te Ao Mārama
- The museum opened a redesigned South Atrium entrance, designed in collaboration with iwi and Pasifika communities in Auckland. An installation beneath its Tanoa bowl carries stories from three iwi.
The hill and the hall
The hill, the hall and the form
Auckland Museum on its hill and under its Tanoa bowl, beside kapa haka and cultural performance groups. Where a photograph shows another place or another time, its description says so.
Tickets compared
Three Auckland tickets side by side
| Ticket | What it covers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Māori cultural performance with museum admission | A Māori cultural performance led by indigenous artists and orators, plus general admission to Auckland Museum, valid for one day. | Anyone who wants the songs, poi and haka explained before walking the galleries. |
| Auckland War Memorial Museum entry ticket | General admission to the museum's galleries on the date you choose. For the Māori performance, book the combined ticket. | Visitors who only want the galleries, at their own pace. |
| Waitematā Harbour sailing cruise with 3-course dinner | A 2.5-hour sailing dinner cruise on the Waitematā Harbour, with a welcome drink, a three-course meal and live commentary from the crew. | Visitors who want an evening on the water after a day at the museum. |
Auckland tickets
Book in Auckland
The first card opens the Māori performance with museum admission. The other two are separate listings, each with its own rating, fare and terms.
Auckland War Memorial Museum entry ticket
General admission to the museum's galleries on the date you choose. For the Māori performance, book the combined ticket.
Check dates and fares ↗Waitematā Harbour sailing cruise with 3-course dinner
A 2.5-hour sailing dinner cruise on the Waitematā Harbour, with a welcome drink, a three-course meal and live commentary from the crew.
Check dates and fares ↗More to book in Auckland
Before you go
Practical notes before you go
- Where to meet
- The museum asks you to meet ten minutes before the session starts in the Auditorium Lobby on Level 2. The ticket's meeting point is the museum itself, in Parnell, Auckland 1010.
- Your session time
- Pick a date and the calendar lists the sessions still open; the confirmation email then gives the start time. The ticket is valid for one day.
- Bags and food
- Nothing to eat or drink goes into the galleries, and luggage or large bags stay out too. A tripod or an oversized bag belongs in a self-service locker.
- Reaching the hill
- The museum encourages public transport, and its Link bus services stop on Parnell Road. It also has paid undercover parking, entered from Maunsell Road, and some free parking in the Domain.
- Access
- The ticket is marked wheelchair accessible. The museum says all areas can be reached by wheelchair except the whare rūnanga Hotonui, and that wheelchairs can be borrowed but not booked ahead.
- Days to check
- The performance is not available on Anzac Day, 25 April, and the museum is closed on Christmas Day. Some galleries, including the Māori Court and Pacific galleries, are currently closed.
- Before you enter
- The museum calls the session tapu and briefs visitors on protocols before they enter the auditorium. Follow the briefing and ask the hosts if you are unsure.
Guides to the performance and the museum
Guides to the performance and the museum
Tickets, meeting point, what happens Museum Māori performance guide
How to book the Māori cultural performance at Auckland Museum: what the combined ticket covers, where to meet, how the session runs and what is closed.
Read this guide → Transport, parking, bags, access Getting to Auckland Museum
How to get to Auckland Museum in Parnell: on foot, by bus or train, by car, which door, what to do with bags, opening days and access.
Read this guide →FAQ
Questions before you book
Does the ticket include entry to Auckland Museum?
Yes. The combined ticket includes general admission to the museum and is valid for one day, so the galleries are open to you before and after your session.
Where does the performance take place?
Inside Auckland Museum. The museum asks you to meet ten minutes before the session starts in the Auditorium Lobby on Level 2.
What will I see and hear?
Songs, poi skills and storytelling led by a group of indigenous artists and orators, with the origins and meaning of the haka explained.
How do I find the session time?
Select a date and a session in the calendar. The start time for that day appears in your confirmation.
Can I take photos or film?
Ask the hosts at the briefing rather than assuming. The museum calls the session tapu and briefs every visitor on protocols before the auditorium.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
The ticket is marked wheelchair accessible. The museum says every area can be reached by wheelchair except the whare rūnanga Hotonui.
Is there a performance on Anzac Day?
No. The performance is not available on Anzac Day, 25 April. The museum is closed only on Christmas Day.
Are the Māori Court and Pacific galleries open?
The museum says some galleries, including those two, are currently closed. Other galleries hold Māori collection items, and Te Ripo o Te Moana: Taonga Through Time is listed on Level 1.
Songs, poi and the haka explained, then a museum on a volcano's rim
Reserve your place at the performance ↗Fares here are per adult, quoted in US dollars. The booking calendar converts them for your own currency.