Ever wondered what curators take with them when they go out on the field (or in the mountains, or down in the depths of the oceans)? Let’s begin with botanists Lara Shepherd and Leon Perrie.Read more
Where can you find harakeke outside Aotearoa? What species of forget-me-not live on Banks Peninsula?* Answering these questions is now a lot easier because our herbarium’s botanical specimen data – 250,000 records about plants, with information about what they are, where they’re from and lots more – have been released on the world’s biggest database of living things, GBIF. Kaitūhono Hora Raraunga | Digital Channels Outreach Manager Lucy Schrader tells you about making it happen.Read more
Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In this sixteenth blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while walking through Lake Sumner Forest Park, Arthur’s Pass National Park, Craigieburn Forest Park, and down the Harper River to Lake Coleridge and the Rakaia River.Read more
Te Papa contains about 1.5 million natural history specimens. Many of these have been gifted by donors with some 16 000 people collecting specimens for Te Papa. Research Associate Peter Beveridge has donated over 6000 specimens to Te Papa, with his first donation more than 70 years ago. Science ResearcherRead more
In this 15th blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while walking from Nelson province into North Canterbury via Nelson Lakes National Park and the Waiau Pass through to Boyle Village (on State Highway 7 south of Lewis Pass).Read more
The eleven researchers and crew on the Strannik 2023 Auckland Island Expedition journeyed to the Auckland Islands in January 2023 to undertake botanical field work over four weeks on the main Auckland Island. For Te Papa Botany Curator Heidi Meudt, this was her first ship-based field expedition, so many thingsRead more
In this 14th blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while walking the length of the Richmond Ranges, which separate the Nelson and Marlborough provinces.Read more
As part of a summer research project, Lucia Adams from Botany and Annie Barnard from Art are working with Te Papa’s collection of Nancy Adams’ works. Annie and Lucia will be digitising botanical specimens that Adams collected, enriching catalogue records of her artworks and archival material, and doing research and writing about her work and influence. They are taking a series of field trips to sites that were important in Nancy’s life and work. Here is the first in a series of blogs documenting these trips.Read more
In this thirteenth blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while crossing Cook Strait | Raukawa Moana and then walking through the Marlborough Sounds to Havelock.Read more
As a botany curator, Heidi Meudt pays a lot of attention to plants, however, she is also curious about the other living things she sees when out in the field. When she was on Motu Maha Auckland Islands in January 2023, she tried to photograph as many of these non-plantRead more
In this 12th blog in the series, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly describes birds encountered while walking from Palmerston North to Wellington via the Tararua Range.Read more
Natural History curator Colin Miskelly describes birds encountered on the short, largely agricultural section of Te Araroa Trail between Whanganui and Palmerston North.Read more
On the ninth leg of Te Araroa Trail, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly describes birds encountered between the township of National Park and Whanganui city.Read more
Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is six weeks into bird-counting the Te Araroa Trail. In this blog we join him on the trail from Taumarunui to the township of National Park.Read more
Between November 2023 and March 2024, Natural History curator Colin Miskelly is walking the length of Aotearoa New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail – counting every bird seen or heard along the way. In this eighth blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered between Te Kūiti and Taumarunui. TheRead more
