The Time Warp was designed as a commercial attraction located within the national museum, to generate visitation and add a light-hearted entertainment focus to the museum.

The principal objectives of The Time Warp were:

  • to attract visitors to the museum who would not normally visit, identified as principally 13-20 year-olds from low-decile secondary schools.
  • to generate additional revenue to help defray operating costs of the museum.

The attraction also had to conform to the museum’s overall mission to reflect the country and its society.

The attraction incorporated two motion-simulator rides, for which signature films were produced, plus numerous interactive experiences which aimed to showcase some of the country’s cultural and social preoccupations.

Devised as a tour through New Zealand’s past, present and possible future, the custom-designed exhibits used cutting-edge technology and narrative not seen in such a museum context before.

Jerry Hewitt was the Creative Director for the project.