Te Papa Gallipoli: Exclusive Early Access - Beat the Crowds!

I was not sure what to expect from this exhibit located at the Museum of New Zealand and boy was I pleasantly surprised, What an amazing and very real exhibit where the characters are larger than life and have incredible detail. The exhibit tells the story of the Brave NZ troops who landed with the Canadians and the Australian's at Gallipoli back in the First World War. Probably one of the finest exhibitions anywhere in the world and tells a wonderful story. This is not to be missed and well done to the creators at WETA.

Absolutely amazing, highly recommend! The exhibition is brilliant. If you’re in Wellington it’s a must do, seriously not to be missed.

We went to see this exhibition a few days ago. Well worth the trip the exhibition is very well done and set out. Done from the point of view of the solders. Very interactive and great for all the family.

Fabulous Museum, the exhibit Galipoli was incredible So lifelike so moving I learned a lot about the New Zealand Involvement in the world wars All around an excellent museum with wonderful exhibits, I enjoyed learning more about the Maori culture

The Gallipoli Exhibition at the Museum is only there until April and is a must see. It contains a number of life like figures with incredible detail and very moving stories outlining their involvement in the War. The Exhibition illustrates that fact that The NZ soldiers advanced up the escarpment well beyond other allied forces. The efforts of the senior medical staff and leaders were extraordinary. The NZ commander Lt. Colonel Malone died leading his men and his body was never recovered.

This exhibition is outstanding and emotional. We booked for an Early Bird Entry 9:30am because we wanted to beat the crowds and enjoy the experience. There were 8 in the group and we were taken into the exhibition by Roger our guide. While the exhibition was outstanding the guide was not! He talked far too much and made the event all about him, I feel he was a frustrated actor! Every time we came across one of the figures he insisted on talking the whole time, suggesting we 'listen to the diaries to understand what they went through'.....well we couldn't hear the audio because Roger just kept talking. Roger also insisted on standing right in front of the giant figures, often with his back to the group, which prevented us from taking photos which he said we could do before we started. We kept hanging back while the group left the room which became more difficult as everyone else started arriving. Roger also kept on about how the figures were created, instead of allowing us to take time to appreciate the horrors of Gallipoli. What would have made the Early Bird experience better? An earlier start because by the time the doors opened to the public at 10am, we were barely into the exhibit! Another way to improve would be to have the guide be quiet and start the descriptive audio when the group enters the room and allow us to hear it!

The story of the Gallipoli campaign WWI told honestly and refreshingly through the experience of eight ordinary New Zealanders. Each account opens with an incredibly lifelike mannequin of those that were there creating a strong and personal link between subject and viewer. There’s no jingoism here, just personal stories of a nightmare that sadly must still resonate in parts of today’s world.

Just wow, I came here with low expectations, since modern art museums are just gaudy and oversaturated by slop under the guise of contemporary art, and I'm genuinely impressed. There is so much information here, and it really reckons back to the age of European NZ, when bold men fought overseas for their country and Britain. It's really amazing to see how all the giant sculptures are locally created, being produced by the Weta Workshop which is just out of Wellington and equally as incredible. By the end of my ventures into this museum, after hearing the amazing sound effects added, seeing confronting and realistic imagery, alongside reading memoirs and quotes, often said by the soldiers themselves, I was almost in tears. I remember being at the part depicting a boat filled with nurses and wounded soldiers, surrounded by neon lights and poppies, and I thought to myself, "What was the point of this war?" and "Was all this for nothing?" And that's when the emotions hit. What really cemented the experience was when I threw a poppy at the feet of a statue, and bowed my head in somber respect to the men who fought and would likely be ashamed of how their descendants are being treated today. In fact, the experience would have been perfect if it the creators of the exhibition didn't feel the need to try and downplay the accomplishments of the soldiers, by constantly inserting Maori culture and soldiers, both of which while existing, played a minimal part in the war, which was mainly fought by European descended Kiwis. Overall, it felt as though this exhibit, and the entire museum as a whole, just couldn't fully acknowledge the sacrifice and benefits of Kiwis without having to artificially insert some mentioning of Maoris into the equation. While it wasn't a big thing, and didn't detract majorly from the Gallipoli exhibit, there were some ridiculous sections, such as at the end where a sign tried to impose Maori culture onto me, by compelling me to wash my hands at a provided 'Maori approved tap' because in their culture it's 'tradition' to wash your hands after interacting with the dead. While there were more egregious things, like an informational tablet branding Captain Cook as a traitor and saying that Maoris are changing Captain Cook's achievements to fit their narrative, that did not occur in the Gallipoli exhibit itself, so I'll be acknowledging that in a separate review of the exhibit holistically.

This WW1 exhibit honors those who were there. I was moved by historic dairies, letters. quotes, and press releases. Also, the dioramas and layout of the exhibition is outstanding. In light of the current political situation in NZ it's interest to see the inclusion of Maori language in those historical communications. I also spent some in the Nature exhibit just like a school kid.

The war expo was not the best it’s the best thing there is the bad part te papa is amazing for younger kids under the age of 7-8 that’s what I would say