Southward Car Museum
Southward Car Museum
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Southward Car Museum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
100 within 5 kms
Attractions
25 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
444 reviews
Excellent
339
Very good
93
Average
9
Poor
2
Terrible
1
vwatts40
Auckland, New Zealand93 contributions
Oct 2020
Museum consist of a vast hall full of cars from the origin of the internal combustion engine up to some recent cars. Also includes some aero engines .
Fascinating to see how the early cars were build as horseless carriages with the same suspension and wheels as horse drawn carriages. As we are nearly as old as many of the cars on display my wife and I relived our youth and challenged each other to identify the cars of our era. There is also an example of the Stanley Steamer, a steam car that looked as if it had a promising future until it didn't and an electric car owned by Mrs Chrysler.
There is very little to eat at at the cafe. Bring your own food if you want to visit for a long time
Fascinating to see how the early cars were build as horseless carriages with the same suspension and wheels as horse drawn carriages. As we are nearly as old as many of the cars on display my wife and I relived our youth and challenged each other to identify the cars of our era. There is also an example of the Stanley Steamer, a steam car that looked as if it had a promising future until it didn't and an electric car owned by Mrs Chrysler.
There is very little to eat at at the cafe. Bring your own food if you want to visit for a long time
Written October 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Polly C
1 contribution
Nov 2020
We loved our visit today - super impressed with the incredible collection. Our little dog was also allowed to visit with us which she loved. We followed the visit with a run on Paraparaumu beach nearby. We would love to have had a bit more information about the history of the museum , the people behind it and how it is run - it is such an amazing asset to NZ!
Written November 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannahdog1234
Perth, Australia44 contributions
Nov 2024 • Family
Well, this is the 5th time we have been there and again it failed to disappoint. The late founders did a fantastic job of foreseeing the value in old cars. With the children now of a more mature age their memories of this location are firmly entrenched in their psyche. $20 ish to get in is money well spent and should be number one on your list of things to do if you interested in vehicular history. We’ll be back again. PS. get a tee shirt on your way out the door.
Written November 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holly
Feilding, New Zealand6 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
We stopped in to get something to eat and let the kids stretch their legs as we were travelling on a wet day… Cars good. Staff bad. Food.. prepacked plastic.
When I told the staff we wanted coffee in addition to museum tickets, it’s was like she was massively put out. Zero effort what so ever to be friendly. So disappointing. There was also very little in the way of food available, mostly prepackaged cookies, chips and junk food.
When I told the staff we wanted coffee in addition to museum tickets, it’s was like she was massively put out. Zero effort what so ever to be friendly. So disappointing. There was also very little in the way of food available, mostly prepackaged cookies, chips and junk food.
Written January 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GCKJA
Nebraska667 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We came here specifically to see the Begg but it would be silly to say all of the other cars were a bonus. This museum is incredible! So may models I've never seen in person before.
The details provided for every single vehicle were so interesting.
The museum is well organized considering such an enromous inventory. The staff were so nice and we had so many ah! moments! I don't think I took enough photos. :)
The details provided for every single vehicle were so interesting.
The museum is well organized considering such an enromous inventory. The staff were so nice and we had so many ah! moments! I don't think I took enough photos. :)
Written March 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gwen008
Perth, Australia337 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We visited this museum on the way from Wellington to Whanganui. It's well signposted and we found it with no problems.
The lady at the entry was most pleasant and the museum is spotlessly clean. Its easy to move around and each exhibit is clearly explained .
Morning tea is available - basic but excellent.
Very large car park
The lady at the entry was most pleasant and the museum is spotlessly clean. Its easy to move around and each exhibit is clearly explained .
Morning tea is available - basic but excellent.
Very large car park
Written April 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Gwen008, thank you very much for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to the museum.
Written June 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MurrayL
Christchurch, New Zealand100 contributions
Nov 2022
What an amazing collection of vehicles from throughout the past century and more! Quite a nostalgic trip for us as so many cars reflected the times of our childhood. Very well presented and loads of information about each exhibit.
What a pity the reception staff had been so off-hand. We were virtually ignored when we first arrived, and after we'd been there for nearly two hours were ready for a light lunch and the opportunity to rest our feet before spending more time with the exhibits. There were only two packets of sandwiches, about three muffins and not much else in the food cabinet. We were told, "We only receive a limited amount of food first thing, and once it's gone, it's gone!" No apology, and not a good attitude for a so-called leading tourist attraction. Report card: Could do better!
What a pity the reception staff had been so off-hand. We were virtually ignored when we first arrived, and after we'd been there for nearly two hours were ready for a light lunch and the opportunity to rest our feet before spending more time with the exhibits. There were only two packets of sandwiches, about three muffins and not much else in the food cabinet. We were told, "We only receive a limited amount of food first thing, and once it's gone, it's gone!" No apology, and not a good attitude for a so-called leading tourist attraction. Report card: Could do better!
Written November 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Spinner69
Auckland, New Zealand63 contributions
Mar 2022
A first class venue from driving into the car park, the manicured grounds and the huge building housing the superb collection of vintage cars. It is easy to spend a lot of time admiring the fantastic collection of vehicles. Well worth the visit.
Written March 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bushlands
Auckland, New Zealand83 contributions
Jul 2020
I am by no means a car enthusiast but thought this museum was great. Saw my first two cars which brought back memories. Great variety of cars. Throughly recommend for a couple of hours activity.
Written July 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wjrarr2017
Napier, New Zealand62 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Am not a car fan, if it goes and takes me where I want to go I'm happy, but was super impressed by the amazing variety and number of cars on display. Many brought back happy memories. Adequate,easily read information was available about each vehicle
Written October 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
staying in wellington,best way to get to museum by public transport.i guess train to paraparaumu then is there transport from there
Written January 5, 2015
how do I get there using public transportation from wellington
Written January 5, 2015
Yes train is the best way to Paraparaumu, but as the train now goes on to Waikanae I doubt if there is any bus transport to Southwards. Taxi would be the best I guess, it is not very far from the station.
Written May 10, 2019
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing