MOTAT Auckland - Worth It A Visit?

Last updated on 12 April 2017

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MOTAT: Museum of Transport and Technology. A place full of planes, trains and automobiles. And technology. Can’t forget the last ‘T’ in MOTAT.

MOTAT is New Zealand’s largest transport and technology museum of its kind and offers a fun and exciting learning experience for visitors of all ages. – Website

Situated right next to Western Springs park and Auckland Zoo, MOTAT is a really fun day out, even if you’re an adult. My friend and I (follow his New Zealand adventures over at Charlie’s Better Photos) headed there on a Friday at midday and it seemed to be the perfect time to go. Other than a couple of school groups, there was barely anyone there, and we were free to wander without the crowds.

When you by your tickets (see bottom of post for prices), you’re given a map of the site, and apparently it takes about 4 hours to go around. We did the whole thing in about 2 and a half, but we weren’t stopping to read everything. We tried to do all the rooms/areas in order of the giant numbers on the outsides of the buildings, but in the 4-6 range we sort of lost it and just wandered until we had seen everything.

Each section is different, and, if you follow the numbers, you journey through the machine and interactive activities like making working parts from cogs and spokes, to huge old tractors, to train miniatures and even a laser room. They’ve also got the technology side of things, including the evolution of different things like the telephone, the camera and the computer.

After you’ve finished on the main site, you jump onto a tram (free if you’ve bought the museum ticket) and it takes you past Western Springs and the Zoo, over the road to their aviation warehouse which holds about 43 (I counted from the list on the website) planes, both hanging from the ceiling and displayed on the floor. A bunch of them I recognised because…well, movies.

As soon as we stepped into the warehouse I felt like I was in Night at the Museum…especially the airplane scene. Don’t know what I’m talking about? That’s cool. No worries. (I can’t even find a clip to show you!).

If MOTAT has been something on your to do list, or perhaps you hadn’t even really thought about going there, it’s definitely worth. It’s a lot of fun, and there are heaps of interactive spaces for kids (and adults!). Best to give it at least half a day.