Canterbury Museum

The Canterbury Museum is a museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, located in the city's Cultural Precinct. The museum was founded in 1867 by Julius von Haast, whose collection served as its foundation. The Canterbury Museum is a free museum located on the outskirts of Christchurch's famed Botanic Gardens. Learn about the Canterbury region's history and discover artifacts from the early Maori to the local flora and animals. The Antarctic exhibition, which showcases Christchurch as a launching location for Antarctic expeditions, and the bizarre "Paua House," where a local couple's legacy is their living room on display adorned with over 1,000 paua shells, are both amusing anomalies.

The Gothic Revival structure, designed by Benjamin Mountfort, was completed in 1870. The single-story structure was enlarged with an additional level in the Victorian Gothic style two years after it opened. Over the next decade, the museum expanded, with an expansion completed in 1876 and an internal courtyard roofed in 1882. A new wing was created adjacent to Christ's College in 1958, and another was added in 1977. The structure was reinforced in the mid-1990s, and a four-story block was built in 1995.

Location: 11 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch, South Island 8013, New Zealand

Website: canterburymuseum.com