From waka to rail - discover the stories, people and ideas that have shaped how Tāmaki moves.
How has transport changed over time? How have innovation and the discovery of new technologies shaped how we commute across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland today? What might Auckland’s transport network look like in the future?
All Aboard – How Tāmaki Moves is our latest exhibition which takes you on a journey through Auckland’s transport story - from the waterways of the Waitematā to the underground rail networks being built beneath the city today.
Through immersive experiences, interactive displays, fascinating stories and objects from the MOTAT collection, discover how transport has shaped the way people live, work and connect across Tāmaki.
Explore Auckland on the move
Travel through time
Follow the evolution of movement across Tāmaki – from the Waitematā to trams, buses and rail.
Step into the story
Get hands-on with interactive displays and immersive projections that bring Auckland’s transport past, present and future to life.
Look closer at the technology
See fascinating objects from the MOTAT collection and uncover the ingenuity behind some of Auckland’s most significant transport developments.
A story built from Auckland’s collections
The exhibition brings together objects, images, archives and stories from across Tāmaki Makaurau, including MOTAT’s collections, the Walsh Memorial Library, Auckland Transport and City Rail Link.
Together, they reveal the changing ways people have moved around Tāmaki - and the people, technology and ideas behind those changes.
Your journey starts here.
Transport is more than getting from A to B. It connects people and places, changes the shape of cities and influences how we experience the world around us.
Come and explore the people, technology and ideas that keep Tāmaki moving.
All aboard!
Some of the collection objects on display include:
Rail Tablet
Rail Tablet [Otiria/Whangarei], 2023.97. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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Semaphore Signal Repeater
New Zealand Railways. Semaphore Signal Repeater, 2022.6. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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Transportation Token
New Zealand Railways. 1908. Transportation Token [New Zealand Railways Free Pass], 2013.25. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
More InfoBus Tickets
Auckland Regional Authority. Bus Tickets [Queen Street Transfer], 1981.402.5. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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Rail Signal Flags
Rail Signal Flags, 2001.344. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
More InfoDelivered in partnership with Auckland Transport.
Image credit lines: Graham Stewart. Auckland Transport Board trolley bus in Bledisloe street, 12-4386. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
Bus image supplied by Auckland Transport.
These images were modified using AI.