southland museum and art gallery

A delightful way to spend a damp Saturday in Invercargill. Film shows especially appreciated. So informative

What a delightful introduction to Invercargill.We had fun trying to find the well camouflaged tuatara. I think kids would really enjoy this. The museum was interesting covering, First World War, Maori traditional crafts and implements - including canoes. There is also aa art exhibition which was very good.The cafe gets a huge tick from us. The food and coffee were excellent and the staff gave us some great instructions on locating places. They were so welcoming and helpful, I hope they are appreciated by the management.

Well worth a visit. We went to see the Worlds Fastest Indian display. But when we visited there was so many more things to see. if you have a spare couple of hours it is worth a visit. It is also free to visit, so great if you have a few people visiting with you.

This is a well laid out museum with a logical path to follow through the exhibits. Lots of variation and very relevant to that part of NZ. We enjoyed it very much and would recommend. I forgot to mention, its free, a bonus, but well worth a donation.

It was not like a museum as such because it didn't feel big . The displays were fascinating and we were halfway through before we realised it was a museum. It was free which was good but didn't mind giving a donation.

Great collections and friendly staff. This unique Pyramid shaped space started as a regular building, but was expanded into it's current form, also known as "The Whales Tooth" in 1990.

There is a variety of things in the museum from the reptiles, through the history to the sub-antarctic islands and it is all fascinating. Refresh yourself at the nice cafe then do the botanic gardens that surround the museum. All within an easy walk from the town.

Well laid out and in the park for a walk afterwards. Good history of early settlement and industry as well as culture. Cafe good value for afterwards. Lizard display interesting.

A very quiet museum set by the Invercargill Botanic Gardens. Some good exhibits and paintings done by NZ artists. Find the reptilian enclave towards the rear.One attraction here is Henry the tuatara and his girlfriend and some offspring. Henry is a living fossil over 100 years old and this reptile in extinct in the wild on NZ's South and North Islands. Watch the video that plays and have a good laugh. Lots of tourist and travel information available here.

A good little café to sit and mull your Museum and Art Gallery visit - good food and service. Other 'diners' from many countries - enjoyed "people-watching" which is part of a holidaying experience

When we first visit Invercargill, this town feels really flat. The whole city didn't give us much, but the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.All the books and maps tells that Invervargill is famous with their buildings, and their art collection. So... it seem to be the thing must do here?And yes, we were glad to had visit it.If you ever stop by Invercargill just for drive up to Te Anau, this museum is somewhere you can visit in this city for sure.

We had time to kill before our flicht back to Auckland and decided to go to the museum. What a surprise!! And while we were walking through the exhibition there was an announcement about the Tuatara. We had never heard of that and were curious. Well, Tuatara are almost extinct. They only survived in NZ and here they have a program to breed them and release them on the outer Islands on NZ. It was so interesting and we are happy that we spent our time at the museum!A MUST GO when in Invercargil!!

This had more to offer than just Invercargill's (arguably) most famous resident. Well set out, friendly staff and worth an hour or three.

Natural history exhibits in this museum are better than excellent. The display of stuffed penguins really was outstanding. And their area on Antarctic expeditions--also fine. We really spent lots of time admiring grandfather "Henry," their live tuatara who is still living, tho' he was born in the late 1800s. And they had a very fine display of Maori artifacts--clubs, adzes, fishhooks, hair combs and necklaces, plus a good war canoe. Their art displays weren't much, so concentrate your time on their interesting natural history sections.

The tuatara are amazing... so, first you have to spot them when they're hiding and blending into their habitat. A tribute to the curator. The other exhibits are great too...rooms set up like in the olden days are well preserved. The art exhibitions are fantastic. One of the best features is the gift shop which has beautiful Kiwiana jewellery for sale (ie jade and paua). A helpful information centre with friendly staff and lots of brochures to help travellers. And the café is nestled in there serving freshly prepared food and great coffee. Nice place to visit with family/friends and lots of parking.