Summer Holiday Experience
Hands-on experiments and active adventure awaits this summer at MOTAT!
Get ready to twist, tie and weave your way through summer!
This summer master the mechanics of weaving, knotting and lashing with a range of practical activities. Discover how fibre techniques have shaped everyday life through play, creation and experimentation.
From navigating a full-room string maze to building load-bearing bridges and shelter prototypes inspired by traditional Māori and Pasifika engineering, whānau can discover how simple cords power everyday tech, transport and design through interactive challenges.
Code digital woven patterns inspired by tāniko weaving, create geometric star polygons or craft your own poi and try your hand at traditional Whai string games. Plus, enjoy open-ended building fun in the Red Door Room with the Imagination Playground — what kind of creations can you engineer?
All Aboard – How Tāmaki Moves
Climb aboard a journey through Auckland's transport history and discover how movement has shaped the city we know today.
Explore interactive displays, immersive experiences and remarkable objects that reveal the people, technology and ideas behind Tāmaki Makaurau's transport network. From ferries and railways to future transport innovations, there's plenty for curious minds of all ages to discover.
LEARN MORE
Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre
In our award-winning Science and Technology Centre - Te Puawānanga, explore rich stories interwoven with concepts of science, art, technology and maths that surround us every day. Te Puawānanga is all about interaction and discovery for all ages. From the towering Tāne Mahuta in Te Tumu - Play space for under 5s, to Beats in Time in Te Waha - the Innovation space, we welcome everyone to explore science and tech in a whole new way.
In the Science Alive Te Manawa Magic Box explore fascinating objects from the MOTAT collection that showcase the science of friction in its many forms. Plus, try your hand at our new friction design challenge, where you can create your own mini hovercraft and watch it glide across different surfaces.
LEARN MORE
Ngā hau a Tāwhirirangi Forces of Flight
An Aviation Hall experience.
In this new permanent exhibition, discover the forces that take you sky high. Uncover the invisible powers that make flight possible and see how lift, thrust, drag and weight work together to keep everything from birds to jumbo jets soaring through the sky.
With hands-on experiments and interactive displays that let you test the forces yourself, feel the balance of physics in action - push against air, shape wings and see what it takes to fly.
LEARN MORE