Whakamana Cannabis Museum is New Zealand's only cannabis museum, and it sits on Beresford Square, directly at the doorstep of the new Karanga-a-Hape Station. It is open Wednesday to Sunday, entry is free, and most people spend about an hour. Here is everything you need to know before you come.
The station is now on our doorstep
Karanga-a-Hape Station opened on 13 September 2026 as part of the City Rail Link, and one of its two entrances is on Beresford Square. The other is on Mercury Lane. We are at number 19, a few steps from the Beresford Square forecourt.
That changes the trip completely. Until now, getting to K Road by train meant getting off somewhere else and walking up a hill. Now you can be on a train from Papatoetoe, Glen Innes, Glen Eden or Pukekohe and come up the escalator into the square we are on. If you are coming from anywhere in Auckland with a rail connection, we are about as easy to reach as anywhere in the city.
It is worth the ride for its own sake. Karanga-a-Hape is the deepest railway station in New Zealand, 33 metres down, and the Beresford Square entrance has the country's longest escalator at 40 metres. The station design carries te ao Māori throughout, including the vent pou, the bronze-cast manaia and a maramataka installation marking the Māori lunar calendar.
Where it is
19 Beresford Square, Auckland Central 1010. Beresford Square runs off the top of Pitt Street, just below Karangahape Road. Come out of the station's Beresford Square entrance and you are there. If you are walking down from K Road, we are the big heritage church building.
If you are exploring K Road for the day, we make a natural first stop or last stop depending on which way you are walking. We wrote up a half day on K Road with our favourite coffee, lunch and dinner spots if you want the full plan.
Opening hours
- Wednesday to Friday: 12pm to 6pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 5pm
- Monday and Tuesday: closed
We close over the summer break from 21 December to 14 January. Public holiday hours and event nights are posted on Instagram and Facebook.
How much it costs
Nothing. Entry is free. If you want to support the museum, the shop and the merch are how we keep the lights on.
How long it takes
Forty-five minutes to an hour if you take it all in. Twenty minutes if you are just curious and want a look around. One of the team will walk you through and explain as much or as little as you like, and if Abe is in you will probably get more than you asked for.
What you'll see
The museum is arranged in three areas.
Cannabis Through the Ages. A summarised six thousand year timeline of the plant, from its earliest uses as medicine and fibre through to prohibition and the return of medicinal cannabis. It is an overview rather than a deep dive, and it is the wall most people photograph.
Cannabis Science. What a cannabis flower actually is: the anatomy of the plant, what cannabinoids and terpenes are, and why the same plant can smell like citrus, pine or diesel. You can see and smell the medicinal cannabis products currently available to patients in New Zealand, which is something you cannot do anywhere else.
Cannabis Culture and More. Aotearoa's own story. Prohibition, the activism of the 1990s and 2000s, the 2020 referendum, and the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme that quietly changed everything for patients. Much of this is told through the people who lived it.
The building itself is worth the visit. It is a restored heritage church with the original timber and stained glass, and it does not look like anywhere else in Auckland.
If you're a medicinal cannabis patient
If you hold a current prescription, you can use your own medicine at our device tables, where high-end vaporisers are set up and ready to go. You do not need to bring a device. Ball vapes, hybrid Volcanos and more are available to hire for $10 per person for two hours. Bring your medicine and your prescription or pharmacy label. We cannot supply cannabis.
If you are thinking about a prescription and want to talk to someone, Calyx Clinic operates from the same building.
The shop
Small and deliberately curated. Dry herb vaporisers from certified medical devices like the Oleo Panacea down to a $100 DynaVap, glass bubblers, induction heaters, grinders and museum merch. Everything is out on the counter so you can handle it before you buy. See the full range online.
Pizza
Yes, really. Lollo's Pizza is on site, serving Roman-style pizza al taglio made on 72-hour fermented dough. Open Wednesday to Friday, 12pm to 4pm. Come for lunch, stay for the museum, or the other way round.
Getting here and parking
Train. Karanga-a-Hape Station, Beresford Square entrance. You come out into the square we are on. This is far and away the easiest way to reach us.
Bus. Almost every bus that runs along K Road or Pitt Street stops within a couple of minutes' walk.
Car. There is metered street parking on the surrounding streets, and paid parking buildings on K Road and Pitt Street. Weekday afternoons can be tight; evenings and weekends are easier. Honestly, now that the station is open, the train is less hassle.
Accessibility. The station has lifts. If you have access needs, get in touch before you come and we will make sure we can look after you.
Bringing kids
Visitors under 16 need to be with an adult. Medicinal cannabis is vaporised inside the premises by patients, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to bring younger children. The shop sells only to adults 18 and over.
Groups, schools and media
We host school and tertiary groups, community groups and media by arrangement. Contact us with dates and numbers and we will sort something out.
Events
We run regular community nights, talks, film screenings and patient events. See the Events page, follow us on Instagram, or join the newsletter at the bottom of this page and you will get invitations.
Quick answers
How do I get there by train? Karanga-a-Hape Station, Beresford Square exit. We are at number 19, a few steps away.
Is the museum a dispensary? No. We do not sell cannabis and never have.
Do I need to book? No, just turn up.
Can I take photos? Yes.
Is there food? Lollo's Pizza is on site Wednesday to Friday until 4pm, and K Road has everything else within a five-minute walk.
More questions? See our FAQ, or the Visit page for a map.
Related: A half day on K Road: coffee, the cannabis museum, and where to eat.
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