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F1 exhibition crosses the finish line but what’s next???

2 November 2009 – 3.27pm

Staff at the museum waved the checkered flag for the Formula One – The Great Design Race exhibition this morning, having closed to the public on Sunday.  The exhibition was seen by over 52,000 people and preliminary visitor market research shows that 1/4 of visitors surveyed were first time visitors to the museum!

The Ferrari F2004 will be going back to Bridgestone in Australia

The Ferrari F2004 will be going back to Australia. Thanks Bridgestone for securing this car for the exhibition! Image © Te Papa.

So now the cars will be wheeled out and the Visa Platinum Gallery will undergo another major transformation for the Australian blockbuster exhibition, A Day in Pompeii, opening on Saturday 19 December.

Featuring more than 250 authentic objects from the famous buried city, the exhibition details daily life in Roman times and the dramatic explosion of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD that caused life to be frozen in time.

As soon as the exhibition arrives in Wellington, we’ll be posting behind-the-scenes photos on flickr, facebook and twitter so keep an eye out!

In the meantime, here’s one of my favourite treasures from A Day in Pompeii…

Medallion with couple from A Day in Pompeii exhibition

Medallion with couple. Painted plaster. Pompeii, House of the Gold Bracelet. Source – Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei

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Otis Frizzell at Te Papa next week

9 October 2009 – 3.09pm

It’s been really heartening to see how NZ has dug deep to aid Samoa after the recent tsunami.  TVNZ’s Good Morning programme broadcast live from Te Papa and other main centres on Wednesday to support the Red Cross’s appeal.  In total, they raised $165,000 in just three hours!

Online giving website Givealittle has received over $100,000 in donations for the Red Cross as well and, earlier in the week, Givealittle approached Te Papa to see if we could help out with a innovative fundraising idea.

Donors to the appeal are given the option of leaving a comment and the crew at Givealittle approached artist Otis Frizzell to incorporate these messages of support into a special artwork to be gifted to the people of Samoa.  Limited editions of the work will also be made available with the monies raised going to the Red Cross.

Otis Frizzell

Otis Frizzell

Otis will be in Te Papa’s Wellington Foyer on Level 2 working on this very special artwork from Monday 12 to Friday 16 October so come along, have a chat to Otis and see art in progress!  If you can’t make it in to Te Papa, check out our flickr site for progress pics!

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Tales from Te Papa : Cloud

16 September 2009 – 11.59am

As you know from my previous post, Tales from Te Papa went live on TVNZ6 on 1 September. 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll post the mini-documentaries to the blog with more information – the stuff our staff weren’t able to fit into the Tales from Te Papa format and useful links to more info. 

We’d love to hear from you as well, so watch the clip and post comments  – is there anything else you want to know, do you have a suggestion for a future Tales from Te Papa episode?

Cloud by John Reynolds is a popular work in Toi Te Papa: Art of the Nation on Level 5 and it’s one of my favourites as well!  In the clip below, contemporary art curator , Charlotte Huddleston, talks with Simon Morton about the work.

Charlotte posted a blog shortly after Cloud was installed earlier in the year. 
More about Cloud with a video of the artist talking about his work

NOTE: Cloud closes on 17 January 2010 so we can prepare the gallery for the NZ entry to the 2009 Venice Biennale!

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F1 fans win a piece of Ferrari history

4 September 2009 – 3.55pm
Signed Ferrari shirts - thanks Shell V-Power!

Signed Ferrari shirts – thanks Shell V-Power!

Today was the day we gave away two signed Ferrari shirts to lucky Formula One™ – The Great Design Race  visitors.  We were not really sure what to expect so were thrilled that close to 130 people turned up!

The shirts, signed by Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, and Kimi Räikkönen, were given to us by Shell V-Power and have a pretty interesting story  – you can read about in my previous blog.

To narrow the field a bit, I asked two questions: how many steering wheels are in the exhibition (11) and how many tyres (37).

Dan and Sean with their signed shirts in front of the Ferrari F2004. Copyright Te Papa.

Dan and Sean with their signed shirts in front of the Ferrari F2004. Copyright Te Papa.

Sean came up with the steering wheel answer and was sent home with the Schumacher shirt.  He has a Schumacher-signed Ferrari cap at home so all needs now is a pair of trousers for the set! Dan won the Massa/Räikkönen shirt (he was a lot happier than he looks below!).

Dan won by correctly answering how many tyres are in the exhibition - more than you may think! Copyright Te Papa.

No one left empty-handed though – the hosts gave all the visitors Ferrari model cars to take away! It was so successful that we hope to run another event soon so keep checking facebook , twitter and the blog for more chances to win.

And, if you are Welly this weekend, come down to Te Papa for an awesome F1 weekend of events featuring Chris Amon, Greg Murphy, and NZ’s A1GP car ‘Black Beauty’!

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See Te Papa on TVNZ6 from tomorrow!

31 August 2009 – 3.06pm

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Join Simon Morton and Riria Hotere for your personal guided tour of the nation’s treasures when TVNZ6, in partnership with Te Papa and Vero, launch Tales from Te Papa on Tuesday 1 September!

Tales from Te Papa is a series of mini-docos (between 2-5 minutes long) showcasing significant objects and taonga from the collections of Te Papa and other museums.  I know Simon from his Saturday afternoon programme on Radio New Zealand, ‘This Way Up’ and he has also hosted the show  ’Why We Buy?’ for TVNZ. 

Riria Hoter and Simon Morton - your guides to NZ's cultural treasures in Tales from Te Papa

Riria Hotere and Simon Morton - your guides to NZ's cultural treasures in Tales from Te Papa

Riria works here at Te Papa in our awesome Education team and has featured on the te reo programme ‘Korero Mai’.  Using their inquisitive minds, they get to know some of the curators and collection managers at Te Papa and discover the fascinating and sometimes unexpected stories from Te Papa’s collections.

Tune into TVNZ6 at 8.25pm Tuesday 1 September to catch the premiere episode.  The episodes will screen each night between 6pm and midnight so keep an eye out.  If you miss any, they will be available on TVNZ6′s website and we will get them on here as soon as possible too.

We’d love to know what you think so have a look and feel free to comment  – you may even have some suggestions for future programmes!

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Signed Formula One shirt giveaway

21 August 2009 – 2.15pm

A special delivery had some staff pretty excited yesterday – you need to be into Formula One racing though!

Exhibition principal partner Shell V-Power has secured exclusive Ferrari polo shirts signed by legends of F1 racing,  Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, and Kimi Räikkönen.  We are giving them away to luckyFormula One™ – The Great Design Race exhibition visitors!

Signed Ferrari shirts

Signed Ferrari shirts – thanks Shell V-Power!

The shirts were signed by the drivers at this year’s Hungarian Grand Prix in late July.  Regrettably, this race was overshadowed by Massa’s terrible accident during the qualifying lap that left him with a fractured skull.  Massa’s teammate Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 world champion, placed second in the race getting Ferrari’s best placing in the season at that time.

Massa’s untimely departure from the Ferrari team led to Schumacher contemplating leaving retirement to race for Ferrari but this was not to be.  A neck injury sustained earlier in the year during a German Superbike test left him unfit for F1.

The Ferrari F2004 in the Formula One™ – The Great Design Race exhibition

The Ferrari F2004 in the Formula One™ – The Great Design Race exhibition

For the F1 enthusiast, these shirts will be like gold!  Further details about the giveaway are on our website – I can’t give you any more information just yet, but clues will be posted to Te Papa’s facebook page, on our Twitter feed, and our website and blog.  Good luck!

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Porcupine fish on Petone foreshore

19 August 2009 – 2.04pm

I had a call yesterday from Wellington’s Dominion Post newspaper needing an expert to identify some fish found washed up on the Petone foreshore.  Andrew Stewart, Te Papa’s fishes collection manager, identified them as porcupine fish - you can view the article here.

Porcupine fish Allomycterus pilatus, NMNZ P.35109; 185mm SL. Photo: A. Stewart, Te Papa.

Porcupine fish Allomycterus pilatus, NMNZ P.35109; 185mm SL. Photo: A. Stewart, Te Papa.

Andrew says that the porcupine fish lives around in-shore reefs, especially along our northern coasts where divers commonly see it underwater.  Most specimens are captured accidentally by dragnets or found dead on the beach, but occasional specimens are caught by recreational anglers.

 Porcupine fish are related to pufferfishes, and have a similar ability to blow themselves up like a ball by swallowing water (or air), which makes the spines stand out erect from the body.  Though this makes it hard for predators to swallow them, Andrew says that he has found porcupine fish in the stomachs of long-snouted lancets.

The toxin common to the fish in this family is tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis and death in a very short timeframe. This has also been found in sea slugs found recently on Auckland’s Eastern beaches and was reported to have been the cause of death of two dogs.  So heed the warning and DO NOT TOUCH!

We have specimens of porcupine fish in Te Papa’s collection but, for me, the most intriguing is the puffer fish helmet in the Pacific collection.

Puffer fish helmet, 1900s, maker unknown. © Te Papa.

Puffer fish helmet, 1900s, maker unknown. © Te Papa.

The helmet is part of a war costume from Kiribati and was collected by Albert Ellis and his wife in the 1930s and gifted to the museum by their grand-daughter.

A warrior kitted out in this would have made a fearful sight, but the helmet wouldn’t have given the wearer much protection against weapons like these!

Rere (hand weapon), maker unknown, Kiribati, part of the Oldman Collection.© Te Papa.

Rere (hand weapon), maker unknown, Kiribati, part of the Oldman Collection.© Te Papa.

See more of Te Papa’s fish and Pacific collections on Collections Online.

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Black Magic hits the waters one last time…

5 August 2009 – 4.05pm

Well … kind of!  NZL 32 aka Black Magic will be barged tomorrow morning from Team New Zealand’s shed in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour to its new home within the National Maritime Museum’s Blue Water Black Magic – A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake exhibition, opening in December this year.

The new exhibition wing at the National Maritime Museum, Auckland. ©NMM Collection.

The new exhibition wing at the National Maritime Museum, Auckland. ©NMM Collection.

Black Magic is the yacht that Sir Peter Blake and Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup with in San Diego in 1995 – a win that thrilled all New Zealanders who welcomed the team home with tickertape parades across the country (I still have Sir Peter and Russell Coutts’ autographs from the parade in Dunedin!)

Sir Peter Blake and friends opening Te Papa in 1998.©Te Papa

Sir Peter Blake and friends opening Te Papa in 1998.©Te Papa

 It was Sir Peter’s wish that NZL 32 become part of the national collection and, in 2003, the yacht was gifted to Te Papa.  Since that time, Te Papa and the National Maritime Museum have worked together to develop a fitting tribute to Sir Peter’s contribution to New Zealand yachting.

 The National Maritime Museum have also started a blog detailing the development of the exhibition and behind the scenes insights  as it is installed.

You can watch the yacht being moved into its new home on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme with Tamati Coffey reporting live from the Maritime Museum from 6am tomorrow.

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Winter weather can’t keep kaumātua away!

9 July 2009 – 8.11pm
Te Hokowhitu a Tu performing at Te Papa in 2008. © Te Papa, 2008

Te Hokowhitu a Tu performing at Te Papa in 2008. © Te Papa, 2008

Flooding and storms aren’t enough to stop pakeke (elders) from the East Coast from making their way down to Wellington to perform at Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa this weekend.

 

Te Hokowhitu a Tu perform at Te Papa in 2008. © Te Papa, 2008

Te Hokowhitu a Tu perform at Te Papa in 2008. © Te Papa, 2008

Senior Maori performing artists from Te Hokowhitu a Tu have had to leave earlier than planned to dodge road restrictions in the region. The Uawa River flooded and the rain caused road slips in several places. While a few of the kuia (female elders) have decided to stay at home, 25 hardy souls are determined to make sure they get here!

The main group of performers left Tokomaru Bay on Thursday afternoon to make it to Te Papa on Saturday morning. So it’s a two day journey for the keen and dedicated performers from Te Tai Rawhiti.

 They’ll be joined by around 250 other performers who are coming in from Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Taranaki and Wellington.

 Pae Ruha from the organising group, He Kura Te Tangata Charitable Trust says Kaumatua Kapa Haka is a celebration of iconic composers from Tuini Ngawai’s era including Sir Apirana Ngata, Paraire Tomoana and Kohine Ponika. Pae says, “He Kura Te Tangata salutes Sir Apirana Ngata and all those wonderful composers whose compositions will ring out across Te Papa and the world this weekend.”

Te Hokowhitu a Tu has based their bracket on the songs of one of the most popular Maori songwriters of all times, Tuini Ngawai. Many of her songs are dedicated to the 21st Maori battalion and feature Maori lyrics sung to popular Pakeha (Eurpopean) tunes of the time.

 You’ll be surprised about how many of these songs you know!

 If you can’t make it to Te Papa in Wellington, catch it live on the internet from Saturday (10.30am-3.30pm) to Sunday (10am-3pm) at www.tepapa.govt.nz/kapahaka

 You can view the programme and a taste of what’s to come at www.tepapa.govt.nz/kapahaka

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Kaumātua Kapa Haka at Te Papa goes global, 11 & 12 July

9 July 2009 – 4.58pm

The final weekend of the 2009 Matariki Festival at Te Papa is by no means the least with the return of the popular Kaumātua Kapa Haka, proudly supported by TelstraClear and NZ Post.

Kuia from South Taranaki performing the poi at Te Papa (2008). © Te Papa.

Kuia from South Taranaki performing the poi at Te Papa (2008). © Te Papa.

These senior performing artists performed at last year’s Matariki Festival and this year they are going global!

Can’t make it to Te Papa? Get your family and friends together and watch the webcast streaming this special event into your home!  You can even join in a chat session with others watching the webcast.

Join us on Saturday 11 July from 10.30am – 3.30pm and 10am – 3pm on Sunday 12.  For the latest info on the Matariki Festival at Te Papa, join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

Keep up to date with our latest Matariki information: www.tepapa.govt.nz/matariki

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