Bugs

Now open!

Designed For: Adults; Teens; Juniors (3-8); Children; Seniors; Everyone; Families

Precision flight, swarm intelligence, mind control … enter the world of bugs. Marvel at their adaptive genius and see if you can match their brilliance. Will you save the Japanese honeybee hive from an invading hornet? Can you spot the orchid mantis before she spears you for her lunch in the secret garden?

"Bugs", an exhibition created by Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and Weta Workshop (the creative studio behind the Lord of the Rings films’ fantastical sets), reveals the secrets of insects and arthropods in delightful, dazzling ways.

From immersive activities that get you thinking to hands-on games that get you moving, "Bugs" inspires us to be curious about the tiny-but-mighty creatures among us, appreciative of the vital role they play in the natural world, and energized to help them thrive.

Fun Buggy Facts

Iridescent colors on the Blue Morpho butterfly, which is known for its bright blue wings are not created by pigments, but instead by the way light interacts with tiny structures on the Morpho's wing scales.
Female Orchid Praying Mantises disguise as flowers to attract prey.
The domesticated silkworm, which is primarily responsible for silk production that is used in fashion, and more is entirely dependent on humans and has been bred for thousands of years.
The unique flight pattern of dragonflies continues to inspire engineers all over the world.
There is a two inches long species of dragonfly that has the longest migration of any insect-spanning up to 11,000 miles which takes them four generations.