Te Papa at home

Jigsaw puzzles, activity books, hundreds of hours of videos covering Aotearoa New Zealand’s vast history, quizzes, hubs on specialist topics, whānau challenges, and inspiration points to keep you active at home.

Or try your luck by searching your home town, your surname, or even a favourite flower on Collections Online

Raranga Matihiko TV – Home learning

The Raranga Matihiko team and our Learning team have created 16 episodes, designed for home learning for junior and senior students, that weave digital technologies around museum taonga, and exploring kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection).

Illustration of two vibrantly-orange and green kākā sitting on branches

Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

Take a moment or two to relax with online jigsaw puzzles using taonga from our collections. Come back frequently to find new ones!

Ko Rata me ngā Tamariki a Tāne | Rata and the Children of Tane

He Paki Taonga i a Māui

'He Paki Taonga i a Māui' is a series of 18 short films for tamariki aged 7-11, and tells stories about taonga in Te Papa's collection.

Surreal activities

Drawing, writing, randomness, surrealism: unlock your mind with these lo-fi activities – fun for children and adults alike!

Dive into the collections

Explore 800,000 artworks, taonga, photographs, collection objects, and botanical and zoological specimens from Te Papa’s collections. Learn about different cultures – or your own! – or find inspiration for your own artworks.

Te reo Māori activity book

Primary

Celebrate Māori language by learning Māori words and phrases through simple activities. Download two free activity books for kids – focused on pronunciation, the other includes more word searches, crossword, colouring pages, and stories.

Activity book

The colossal squid activity book

Primary

An activity book to help kids explore the bizarre anatomy of the colossal squid, where it lives, how it came to Te Papa, and what it eats. Suitable for ages 10+.

Activity book

Matariki activity book

Primary

Learn about Matariki through fun kids’ activities. Featuring word searches, colouring pages, games, and stories, discover what's important during Matariki – whetū, kōrero, kai, whenua, whānau, and the Maramataka.

Activity book

Tokelau language activity book

Early childhood, Primary

Find out about Tokelau’s atolls, designs, and flag. As well as kupu (words) for food, emotions, animals, numbers, and body parts! Fun for all the kāiga (family).

Activity book

Three kids make a rainbow from toys and other household items

Whānau challenges

Try some creative challenges at home with your whānau. Each challenge is connected to Te Papa’s collections or expertise.

Quiz: How well do you know Aotearoa New Zealand?

Do you recognise New Zealand in the 1800s and 1900s? Guess where these images by historic photographers Muir & Moodie and the Burton Brothers were taken.

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.

Te reo Māori quiz

Brush up on your basic te reo Māori through a quick quiz!

Watch: Taikura Kapa Haka 2021

Watch each Taikura Kapa Haka group as they perform within their own rohe, as well as interviews with members of that group about their experiences within Taikura Kapa Haka and what this means to them in 2021.

A man works on one of the giant model's faces.

Watch: 15 years of Te Papa videos

We’ve been creating videos and posting them on YouTube since 2009, so there’s no shortage of things to watch – from a live squid dissection to kapa haka to curators talking about art, there’s something for everyone. Even brush up on your te reo Māori!

The stay at home quiz

Board games, television, sewing, weaving, cooking – many of us are trying to keep ourselves entertained while staying at home. Perhaps this quiz, using items from the collections, will help inspire your next project or activity.

A set of bones in a flat plaster cast on a black background

Fossils and dinosaurs

Te Papa’s collections and research on dinosaur bones, animals, and plant fossils from past geological ages, and the people involved in the discovery of their remains.

two fashion dummies with two outfits on in front of a steel frame and a dark background

Fashioning ourselves: clothing, identity and culture

From woollens to workwear, pōtae (hats) to Panamas, feathers to fur, and khakis to korowai (cloaks). Explore stories that highlight the influences, industry, and imagination of fashion in New Zealand through our collections, exhibitions and research.

Green fence with a hand-painted sign on it saying, 'Give nothing to racism' in green and black.

Antiracism and activism

Read about protest collecting, decolonisation, and antiracism from our tohunga (experts), and across the web.

Portrait of Chris Parker wearing a felt hat. The hat features tiny versions of the key New Zealand public figures during Covid-19, a bag of flour, a tiny self-portrait of Chris wearing his orange hoodie, and a tiny official Covid-19 symbol

LGBTQI+ histories of Aotearoa New Zealand

Explore queer objects, artworks, and stories in Te Papa’s collections and discover more about the rich histories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTQI+ communities and icons – including the AIDS Quilt, Carmen Rupe, and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Read, watch, play

Explore New Zealand’s rich history through pictures, quizzes, videos, and articles. Learn about the natural environment, Pacific and Māori culture, and everything in between – from vintage fashion to rugby.

An abstract painting dominated by the colour blue. A white table with white flowers floats in the middle of the frame, flanked on the left by an austere brown chair and on the right by a large table with a bowl of fruit and various other things on it

Arotahi | Focus: A slow art experience

A mindful viewing experience using taonga from the national collection. Find somewhere quiet and comfortable, put your headphones on, and take a few minutes to focus on looking.

The top half of a brushtail possum clinging to a tree.

The Current

Idea: To control possums, we should consider using gene editing instead of 1080 poison or trapping.

How do you feel about this idea?

General view of the Ko Rongowhakaata exhibition, showing a Māori meeting house

Walkthrough tour of Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow

Take a virtual walkthrough of the exhibition Ko Rongowhakaata: The Story of Light and Shadow wherever you are, and explore the land, people, and stories of Rongowhakaata, an iwi whose unique art reflects their innate creativity, rich history, and innovative spirit. Ko Rongowhakaata closed in February 2022.

Maramataka dial is displayed on a wall. To the left, a plant hangs into the frame. To the right, a taxidermied penguin appears in the frame. Under the dial can be seen an open book

How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

Print a Maramataka dial, explore its energy levels, and use it to plan activities with your whānau.

Tatau: Sāmoan tattoo

Explore the history of Sāmoan tatau, watch interviews with people talking about what their tatau means to them, and discover objects and photographs within our collections.