What was meant to be the night of a lifetime for a group of Wellington schoolgirls ended not with a bang but with a whimper.

Emergency services were alerted to "an item of concern located in the loading dock" of the Te Papa museum in Wellington just after 6pm, forcing the cancellation of a planned Wellington Girls' College ball set to start at 7.30pm.

While police confirmed that the item was not found to be a safety risk, NZDF Explosive Ordnance Disposal conducted a series of controlled detonations.

SUPPLIED

The bomb scare at Te Papa museum turned out to be a false alarm but it still ruined the nights of the many glammed-up Wellington Girls' College students.

A police spokeswoman said due to the ongoing investigation, they were not in a position to reveal what the item or items were.

READ MORE:
* Te Papa bomb scare was a false alarm
* 'Bomb joke' on Lion Air flight in Indonesia causes chaos

"Police must take incidents like this seriously therefore the investigation is ongoing and there are no further details to share at this early stage."

The situation, while not deemed dangerous in the end, has caused a lot of distress for the students left significantly out-of-pocket after their ball couldn't go ahead.

Year 13 student Molly Vercoe, 17, said many of her friends had spent hundreds on dresses, suits, shoes, hair, makeup and even limos.

"A lot of us lost a lot of money paying for all the usual stuff you need for a ball. It's pretty gutting."

GED CANN/STUFF

A cordon was extended around Te Papa after a suspicious package was found on Friday night.

Vercoe was frustrated she and her classmates hadn't been contacted when the threat first became known. 

"When we arrived we were told that they [the school] knew at 6pm that there was a bomb threat but no one had been told not to come," she said.

"The principal and a few other senior management staff came up to us and told us to 'just go home and not tell anyone yet."

GED CANN/STUFF

Wellington Girls' College students scheduled to attend a ball at Te Papa were being temporarily housed at the nearby Wharewaka.

Students were temporarily housed at the nearby Wharewaka where they were in lock-down until about 9pm.

"It was quite scary."

Another student, who didn't wish to be named, said the entire experience was "awful" and a complete waste of time and money.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF

The bomb disposal robot was deployed several times during the night.

"We were left standing in the freezing cold trying to take a few pictures [then] we were taken inside some bar place for a bit, but it didn't turn out as planned so we were sent home straight away.

"Everyone just sat in Maccas and the BP Station to kill time waiting for rides." 

She acknowledged the bomb threat was out of anyone's control but she and her peers would have liked to see the school handle the situation better.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF

Security guards kept pedestrians away from the courtyard of Te Papa on Wellington waterfront.

"Considering how much money girls put into their looks, it should have been the utmost priority to reschedule the ball for the following night [Saturday] or Sunday night ... I'm sure many girls' wouldn't [have] cared if it was relocated," she said.

"I certainly wouldn't care if they just gave a neighbouring school's sports hall a makeover. Even the place we were moved to last night was good enough to have a good ball in.

"I just hope the school can work with Te Papa to either get the money back and relocate ASAP because otherwise myself and many other students can't afford to go through that process again."​

Multiple students had had word that a rescheduled date for the ball would be known on Monday but there was already some who were worried about having to re-book everything at short notice.

"It's going to be much harder especially because a lot of it needs to be booked in advance," Vercoe said.

 - Stuff