The show, which opens today, is titled "est. 1868", and the abbreviation "est." refers partly to the institution's establishment date, in the 19th century.
"Est" is also used to explore the bigg-est, small-est, rar-est, quirki-est and tasti-est items in the collection.
Museum exhibitions and creative services head Craig Scott said the exhibition "flips the script on the traditionally linear chronology of anniversary narratives".
The 500 objects, spanning the humanities, natural science and taoka Maori collections, had been interpreted into thematic strands.
The intriguingly displayed objects offered curious insights into the stories behind them and invited visitors to be amused, provoked and thoughtful.
The show was one of the "most creatively stimulating" he had helped develop in his nearly 11 years at the museum.
"We really wanted to challenge ourselves," Mr Scott said.
"Incredible amounts of work have gone into this from all the different teams," he said.
Members of the exhibition design team "got to go down to the basement" to check out some seldom-displayed artefacts.
The "quirkiest" part of the new exhibition included a "crazy patchwork bedjacket" made in Dunedin about mid last century, a sea snake preserved in a bottle and a collection of "flat rat study skins".
Rodent fans can also also find another dead rat, safeguarded at the museum after being accidentally killed by electric shock when it bit through an electrical wire in a Dunedin flat and was then mummified in the warm, dry roof conditions.
The free exhibition opens today and runs until April 14 at the museum's special exhibitions gallery.
