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For an inspirational experience, visit us on the banks of the Waikato River in the heart of Hamilton's cultural precinct.
Our exhibitions and activities tell the stories of this region and include visual art, social history, tangata whenua and science.
Highlights include the majestic war waka Te Winika, For us They Fell, the Waikato WW1 story, Exscite and Planet Warriors, the fun hands-on science galleries for children; and our galleries which exhibit a rich blend of artworks from touring exhibitions and the museum’s own collection.
Waikato Museum in its current building was opened in 1987. Situated back from the road and near the banks of the Waikato River the building has five levels and 13 galleries. The architect was the late Ivan Mercep of JASMaD (now Jasmax), Auckland, the same architect who went on to design New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa. Mercep was awarded a prestigious Gold Medal by the Institute of Architects (June 2008) for his notable career.
Free Entry
Donations/koha welcome.
Charges apply to some exhibitions and activities.
March - October
10am – 4.30pm
November - February
10am – 5pm
Closed Christmas Day
A limited number of disabled parking spaces are located on Victoria Street, just past Grantham Street, for access to the main entrance of the museum. For large groups we advise phoning ahead to arrange access to the single disabled car park at the museum trades entrance off Grantham Street. Please phone 07 838 6606 to book this park and arrange an escort into the museum.
External wheelchair ramps are available to the main entrance, and we have internal ramps from the foyer level, through all of the galleries. Wheelchairs are available for use in the museum.
The museum has two lifts which give access to all floors.
Disability toilets are located in the foyer, beside the Trust Waikato Gallery, as well as in Level 2 (Exscite), both are shown on the museum map.
There is an external ramp for access into ArtsPost and the galleries and the shop are designed to support wheelchair access. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet.
When visiting, please don't hesitate to ask our visitor hosts for assistance. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to call 07 838 6606.
Great access for young children traveling in pushchairs.
Good upper body strength can transfer own body weight.
Traveling with a Caregiver.
