New Zealand Rugby Museum

New Zealand's national rugby museum — unmissable for fans of the sport

The New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North is the sport's national repository and the most comprehensive rugby museum in the world. The collection spans 130 years of New Zealand rugby history: jerseys, trophies, balls, programmes, and interactive exhibits covering the All Blacks, women's Black Ferns, and provincial rugby from the earliest days of the game in New Zealand.

The museum is on Palmerston North's main square (Te Marae o Hine / The Square). Interactive exhibits let you test your passing accuracy and watch archive footage of historic test matches. Non-fans who are curious about rugby's place in New Zealand culture will also find it worthwhile — the museum is as much about social history as sport. Allow 2 hours.

things to do museum
A story
The museum holds the original game ball from the 1905 All Blacks tour of Britain, when New Zealand went 35 games unbeaten and created the legend of the "Originals." It was during this tour that the team first performed the haka before a test match, a practice that has defined All Blacks rugby ever since.