Mountains to Sea

Mountains to SeaMai i ngā Maunga ki te Moana

Journey through New Zealand's diverse environments, from windy alpine peaks to gloomy seabeds. Discover captivating creatures and precious plants, all adapted to their habitat, and often unique to Aotearoa.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

When | Āhea

14 Feb 1998 – 2 Apr 2018

Where | Ki hea

Level 2

Cost | Te utu

Free entry

Ages | TE REANGA

All ages

Allow | ME WHAKARITE

30 minutes

Accessibility | E wātea ana ki

wheelchair accessible

Find out more about accessibility at Te Papa

Over 2,500 native plants and animals make up the displays. How many molluscs can you count? Can you find the ship rat eating a wētā? Climb to the bush canopy to get a kererū’s perspective.

Mountains to Sea leads you through six major kinds of ecosystem:

alpine
bush
freshwater
coastal
open ocean
deep sea.

The Colossal Squid can be found here too.

Marine life in the Mountains to Sea exhibition, 2017. Photo by Rachael Hockridge. Te Papa

Exploring the *Mountains to Sea* exhibition, 2017. Photo by Laird Morris. Youbee School of Design

Exploring the *Mountains to Sea* exhibition, 2017. Photo by Rachael Hockridge. Te Papa

Discover moreKia kitea ake

Discovery Centres

It’s play time! Families get hands-on with educational exhibits, games, and books.

The Colossal Squid

Meet the only colossal squid on display in the world.

On now

Permanent exhibition

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Quiz: New Zealand’s ugliest fish

There are some bizarre looking fish that live in the depths of New Zealand's waters. Take the quiz and expand your ugly fish knowledge.

Quiz: How well do you know your New Zealand birds?

Do you know the difference between a hihi and a huia? Or how many species of kiwi there are in NZ? Put your native bird knowledge to the test.

Filming the elusive kiwi in the 1940s

Bird expert, Colin Miskelly, comments on recently rediscovered 1940s footage of a kiwi, and explains how far wildlife documentaries have come in the last 70 years.

Te Papa scientists examine the new sunfish

Discovering the mola tecta, a new species of sunfish

Read the story about how a sunfish washing up on our beaches and lying in our store rooms, has become the first new species of sunfish to be described in 100 years.

In photos: Giant eggs, tiny eggs, and the eggceptionally rare

Bird expert Colin Miskelly highlights some of the treasures in our egg collection, including those thought to be held only by Te Papa – as well as giant moa eggs, tiny rifleman eggs, and eggs that were acquired during dramatic events in New Zealand’s conservation history.

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