See collection highlights and visitor favourites at the pop-up Museum while the main Museum is redeveloped.
Founded in 1867 by Sir Julius von Haast, the Museum has been collecting the taonga (treasures) of Waitaha Canterbury and the Antarctic for more than 150 years.
In the early years natural history specimens, ancient artefacts, and cultural and artistic taonga from around the world were purchased, exchanged or gifted for display to an enthusiastic local audience.
Over the years, Cantabrians have added to the collection, donating family treasurers brought from their homelands and local taonga which record the region's social and natural history. The Museum's relationship with Antarctica began with scientific specimens donated by members of Robert Falcon Scott's Dicovery Expedition (1901–1904). Today the Antarctic collection is one of the world's most significant from the heroic age of explorations and discovery.
The pop-up Museum features some of Cantabrians favourite objects: the horse from The Christchurch Street, the pinned insect drawers, Ivan Mauger's gold-plated speedway bike, the ride-on skidoo from the Antarctic Gallery and beautiful pounamu (greenstone).