New Zealand Rugby Museum

The world's first museum dedicated to the sport, sharing a building with Te Manawa

The New Zealand Rugby Museum is the country's only national-level museum dedicated to the sport, and given how central rugby is to the national identity, it is a more substantial institution than its city might suggest. The collection documents the game from its arrival in New Zealand in 1870 through every All Blacks tour and Rugby World Cup, with jerseys, caps, programmes, and a wall of every match ball used in test play since 1980.

The exhibits include the original 1888 New Zealand Native team jersey, the boots worn by Buck Shelford, and a haka-history display tracing the evolution of Ka Mate. The museum shares a building with Te Manawa and a single combined ticket gets you into both. Even a non-rugby visitor leaves understanding more about New Zealand than they did walking in.

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A story
When the museum opened in 1969 it was the first in the world dedicated to rugby of any kind. The founders were a group of Palmerston North rugby fanatics who began collecting jerseys, balls, and programmes in a member's living room — the collection now runs to more than 40,000 items.