Te Papa Tongarewa
Today we decided to dedicate the entire day to visit Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. Known as Te Papa, this was one of the places I looked forward to visiting, having heard many good reports. It did not disappoint, and we did happily spend all day there, and didn’t even see every gallery.
- The Nature galleries focus on the unique and fascinating New Zealand wildlife, as well as displays about earthquakes (including a simulation which apparently was do disturbing we didn’t take any photos!) and conservation.
- Mana Whenua explores the richness of Māori life and heritage of the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Manu Rere Moana (Pacific Voyagers) is about the navigation of the Pacific by double-hulled sailing waka (canoes).
- Treaty of Waitangi exhibit explores the history and controversies of that founding document of modern Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Rongomaraeroa is a modern marae which addresses the nation’s bicultural identity.
- In Bush City you can take a walk outside through some of the natural wonders of New Zealand – bush, rocks, and volcanic landscapes.
Here are a few photos just to give a taste.
Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War
The Gallipoli exhibit was the one I had been told not to miss – and everyone was correct. It was powerful and moving and impressive. The exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I through the eyes of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Each is captured in sculptures made by Weta Workshops – incredibly life-like, except that they are 2.4 times human size. These giant sculptures apparently took 24,000 hours to create, and they are accompanied by photos, letters, videos, projections, models and more. It certainly brought home the tragedy and simple heroism of the Anzacs.
*‘Te Papa Tongarewa’, translates literally to ‘container of treasures’. A fuller interpretation is ‘our container of treasured things and people that spring from mother earth here in New Zealand’. Hence the title of this post.
There and back again
On the way to Te Papa and back to our hotel in the evening we passed more of Wellington’s murals and sculptures.
PS You might have noticed a gap in posts, and suddenly we are in Wellington. Sadly I picked up a bit of a bug and was feeling not up to posting (or anything else, really). All better now though (well, mostly) and I will catch up those 2 missing days ASAP.
