It houses exhibitions spanning New Zealand's maritime history, from the first Polynesian explorers and settlers to modern day triumphs at the America's Cup.

[3] The entrance of the museum incorporates the Launchman's Building, a structure built in 1920 which formerly housed a number of small boating companies.

[4] Many of the early maritime collections were long-term loans from Auckland War Memorial Museum.

[5] The old Launchman's Building (Launch Offices) gained a Category II listing from Heritage New Zealand in 1981.

[10] A NZ$8 million extension to the northern end of the museum was built in the late 2000s to house a permanent exhibition, Blue Water, Black Magic, about Sir Peter Blake.