Rakiura Museum Te Puka O Te Waka

$10 entrance fee. Small; most of the building is foyer and offices rather than exhibits. Some of the stories are great, others full of detail but lacking in engagement. Some cool artifacts. Worth a visit in inclement weather.

Totally impressed with the whole experience. Museum goyer/ shop area laid out nicely, good quality items on sale. Good to see stories of the island's women in this area.Not a big museum, but incredibly well laid out. Comprehensive coverage of human habitation of Rakiura, from the Maori creation myth through to modern times. All economic sources covered- whaling, sealing, timber, fishing. All aspects of life from jobs, through education, health services, marriage are covered.Articles are sensitively displayed, with helpful captions. Videos and audio are helpful, too. Helpful, knowlegable staff.$10 to enter. We felt it was good value. Great place when it's raining!

Absolutely lovely place to spend a few days. Bird life, plants and native flora, and a whale on the trip over. And loved the museum, very enlightening.

Great wee museum showcasing Stewart Island's early inhabitants, the way they lived and worked, and the industries e.g. tin mining, logging and whaling that thrived here. New Zealand botanist, author and illustrator Sheila Natusch was born on the Island and it was good to see a display of covers from some of her publications.

It's was a eye opener, Come out with a new respect for the role that Stewart Island played in the history of New Zealand.

Lovely, tidy, informative museum. We pop in if the weather is not fabulous to look around indoors. Love this island and the community here we try to visit at least once a year.

Designer building. Style and drama to fit the location. .very new but encloses agood range of history of the island. Lovely start of stories of locals.Special place and people. Easy to find lots to interest everyone.Souvenirs very tasteful and informative.Got a great chart of birds and mammals of New Zealand.

Very interesting museum. Awesome collection of local history. Need at least a couple hours. We ran out of time and had to rush the last sections

Great place to spend a rainy day, entrance fee to the museum is just $10 and you get to learn all about the early settlers on the island and you’ll soon discover all the streets and bays were named after them. It was such a small community many of them were related by marriage. Lots of storytelling and artifacts, many of the locals are donors to the museum and you could sense the spirit of the village come alive. There are some local crafts on sale too. History buffs will enjoy this place for sure.

Don't miss the museum if you have an hour or two to spare. Very interesting with some very good exhibits and an excellent way to get an overview of the island's history. Can't beat the $2 entrance charge.