Highlights

Join MOTAT, Auckland Fire Brigade Museum and Historical Society, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand as we come together at Auckland's waterfront venue, The Cloud, on the 17th of March 2024 to commemorate 150 years of fire fighting in Auckland.

The MOTAT collection objects in this highlight will be joined by present-day emergency response vehicles, showing how technology has changed over the years. Partner agencies include NZ Police, Hato Hone St John, Auckland Emergency Management, NZ Defence Force, and Red Cross.

Read more here: https://www.motat.nz/collections-and-stories/stories/motat-celebrates-150-years-of-fire-fighting-in-auckland/

Explore the Walsh Memorial Library collection's objects seen in Te Kōtiu, the immersive digital experience celebrating key moments from aviation history in Aotearoa, now on at the Aviation Hall.

This small selection of cameras from MOTAT’s collection highlights some of the developments photographic technologies; from early bellows cameras which used sensitized glass plates, to the development of roll film and instant film photography, through to digital photography.

The tramway has been part of MOTAT since 1964 when Auckland tram no. 253 was selected for preservation by the Old Time Transport Preservation League. This highlight shows MOTAT’s collection of tramcars and the development of the tramway, which started off inside the museum grounds with a 300 metre track that now extends to MOTAT Motions Road, measuring a total of 1.67 kilometres.

We're nearly a quarter of the way through this century - the first century of the new millennium. Here's a glimpse of some innovations and technology manufactured during the 21st century which are in the MOTAT collections.

Needing to keep cool in this hot weather? Check out these fans and fan-inspired items from MOTAT's collections.

Luggage tags are a “must-have” in this busy season of travel so bags and suitcases can be easily identified. Here’s a selection from MOTAT’s collection to get you inspired!

On the 17th of November 1921, Robert Jack made the first radio broadcast in New Zealand from the University of Otago. Commercial radio broadcasting began in February 1922 from a Wellington station, with stations hot on their heels in Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Whanganui, Gisborne and Auckland. This highlight explores radios and radio paraphernalia from MOTAT’s collection; from 1920s crystal sets used to listen to those early broadcasts, to early valve radios powered by large batteries before the advent of electricity in homes, Bakelite mantle radios, portable radios following the invention of transistors, and car radios to bring the music to your road trip.

What makes things work? MOTAT’s collection includes a number of cutaway and dismantled objects and drawings which allow us to see the inner workings of familiar items.

From horse-drawn buses to motorised public transport, destination blinds have guided people to places for nearly 200 years. This selection is from MOTAT's Road Transport collection. Automated LED lights are used today on buses and trains, however these examples were manually operated. Which destination would you like to visit?