toitu otago settlers museum

The section explaining the Free Presbyterian land settlement program in Otago was very good especially the collection of paintings of the pioneers with there beards and oldy worldy costumes. I was a bit disappointed that there was not more material on the gold diggings though the presence of the Chinese was well covered. I would also have liked to have seen something about the railways.

We did not read too much about this in advance but it is a free, well presented and interesting museum.

We went here on the recommendation of the receptionist at our hotel, we only had 2 hours before we left Dunedin, but wish we had more time. You should allow at least 4 hours.Fascinating exhibits, well laid out. It was all the more engaging as it was all about relatively recent history. There is a room that has photos of early settlers on all walls, where you can to click on these images a tablet which reveals their individual story, which I found engrossing.If a museum can be modern, this one is.

Lots to see. Could have spent much longer here than the time we had available. Really interesting about not only settlement history but more recent history e.g. how big video recorders once were (what are they?)Great layout and great facilities - toilets and cafes

This is one of the best presented historical museums I've ever visited. Good mix of native and colonial artifacts and strong narrative on how the cultures commingled to create the Dunedin of today. Well done!

You could easily lose yourself for a day in this museum, there is so much information to be taken in. The displays are well presented and the staff very helpful.

We wish we'd had longer to spend in this fascinating museum! The permanent & temporary exhibitions were very informative.

This is a treasure of a museum. It's been very newly refurbished and provides interesting information that will appeal to people of all ages. The children will have fun with the many interactive opportunities. Adults will enjoy learning about the history of settlement in the area. There's a lot to see and do ... but not too much.Allow a good two hours as you will not want to rush through the displays and the stories that are available audio visually.The café is also excellent.

What a treasure and I wonder how many people miss this. A great place for children to understand the history of the early settlers

Considering entry is free this is a fantastic place to visit. Plenty of history on NZ and the information is presented in interesting ways. Really enjoyed the information on the earlier history of NZ.

Free and so very informative on the local area. I don't always make a bee line for a museum but do go to this one! Really informative and interactive; brings everything to life in a very clever way. Think that all groups of visitors would like this; a really good find. All the other reviews were not wrong!

An excellent museum with something for all ages. Verey interactive displays and a real attraction for this very nice city.We particularly liked the stories a nd pictures of the early settlers.

Wonderful museum with just the right amount of social history information for a new visitor to Otago. Great temporary exhibition of the pairs of feet for the WW1 celebrations. A must and I would re-visit when in Dunedin.

I've had a first visitor in 2012 plus I've watched the Taieri Gorge Train departure, Pixie Town. I've looked at the transport!

Our family, which included our 2 teenage boys (13 & 16), usually avoid museums like the plague, unless they're something exceptional, which this one is. We were briefly visiting Dunedin, accompanied by my parents, and killing time on a quiet Sunday. We came across the museum whilst strolling around town after visiting Cadbury World, it is close to the main shopping area on George Street. The front of the museum is very modern and new, the huge foyer contains a big old steam engine! I can't tell you how astonished I was to discover entry to the museum is FREE!!!!! How rare is that?! So in we went and I was really impressed at the displays, really well laid out, spacious, information obtained by touch screens, very modern, interactive and accessible. My only regret was that we didn't have more time to explore, there is a lot to see and I could easily have spent a couple of hours there. Even my husband and teenage sons found it quite interesting, as did my parents.