This morning, our fish team went to a small boatshed in Breaker Bay on Wellington’s south coast to pick up a great white shark. Not your normal morning mission and a bittersweet one at that as these creatures are endagered animals and a protected species. The shark had been ensnaredRead more
There was a palpable air of excitement around Melbourne Museum< Australia, as people queued and tv crews jostled at the starting gate of the revamped Phar Lap display. The exhibit was officially opened by Victoria’s Minister for Racing, Hon. Rob Hulls, with speeches by Museum Victoria’s Director, Dr. Patrick Greene, andRead more
Wednesday 15 September 2010 marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the first major campaign fought entirely by airforces. Kiwi Air Vice-Marshal Sir Keith Park played an important role in the defence of London and south-east England. A statue of Sir Keith was recently unveiled in London’s Trafalgar Square inRead more
On the weekend down in Canterbury, apart from the horrific earthquake, there was an extremely unusual dolphin stranding. A 1.8m male Hourglass dolphin came ashore at Flea Bay. Only a handful of complete specimens of this species have ever been dissected before. Although they are sometimes seen in the Southern OceanRead more
Jeff Thomson’s corrugated iron HQ Holden has been on display at Te Papa since the museum first opened in 1998 but, on Tuesday 25 May, the car will be moving to our collection storage area for a well-earned rest. The car is being moved so a new long-term history exhbition can be built onRead more
Have a look at this picture of New Zealand’s rarest stamp – see anything unusual about it? It’s a bit hard to see because of the post marks but the centre scene is actually upside down. It’s known as the Taupo Invert and it’s the only survivor out of theRead more
Phar Lap was a legendary racehorse and an adored animal hero for a generation of New Zealanders (where he was born and brought up) and Australians (where he mostly raced). After Phar Lap’s death on 6 April 1932, his owners, Mr D J Davis and Mr H R Telford, presentedRead more
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING The dissection of the killer whale finished yesterday. This killer whale was very young when it stranded and died. It was given to Te Papa by Te Runanga o Makaawhio and measured just over two metres long. Its tongue had flaps likeRead more
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 givingRead more
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 usefulRead more
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. Andrew says that the porcupine fish lives around in-shore reefs, especially along our northern coastsRead more
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. BlackRead more
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. Senior Maori performing artists from Te Hokowhitu a Tu have had to leave earlier than planned to dodgeRead more
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. These senior performing artists performed at last year’s Matariki Festival and this year they are going global!Read more
To celebrate Te Papa’s tenth anniversary, the Friends of Te Papa commissioned artist Humphrey Ikin to create a lectern for Rongomaraeroa, Te Papa’s contemporary meeting house on Level 4. Humphrey Ikin is an artist working in wood already represented in Te Papa’s collection. ‘Red Stave Chair’ is currently on display inRead more
