A window into our past.

That’s what the Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi (MoAŌ) is. At a more prosaic level, it’s an online database of archaeological and historical information recovered during post-earthquake archaeological work in Ōtautahi. But that doesn’t sound quite so exciting, does it?

Instead, think of it as a digital collection of artefacts and people and places. And stories. Most importantly, MoAŌ is about stories of our past, of the people of Ōtautahi and the city we live in today. The stories aren’t there explicitly, but they’re embedded in the data and they’re there for you to find and explore - and create!

So far, there are over 400 archaeological sites in MoAŌ, with all their artefacts and the historical data, dating back to 1854. We invite you to dive in and explore it, whether for investigating your own personal history, or the place where you live. Be sure to let us know what you find out!

MoAŌ was built thanks to generous support from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The database and website were built by the excellent local firm Intranel and our fantastic website design was by another local firm, Great Scott.