Motueka District Museum is a useful small stop before or after trips into Abel Tasman National Park. Its exhibits ground the town in Tasman Bay history: Maori presence, European settlement, farming, tobacco growing, orchards, and the coastal trades that shaped the district.
The museum is not large, but it gives Motueka more texture than its role as a park gateway might suggest. Visit when the weather turns, or when you want to understand the working town behind the kayaking companies, cafes, and trailhead traffic.