Sixty years ago, Queen Elizabeth II is crowned (2 June 1953) Only selected officials were invited into Westminster Abbey to witness the formal coronation ceremony, so thousands of people lined the route of the coronation porcession in order to see the Queen. Robert Buhler’s lithograph (above) depicts part of theRead more
It took many hours of sorting, registration, taxonomy review, preparation and coordination, then 12 long sessions in the imaging lab. Te Papa Science staff have now completed the online access for 2241 black & white engravings of plants collected on Captain Cook’s first voyage. The Te Papa Collection Online narratives about the Banks andRead more
Thirty years ago today, on 11 July 1983, American television host Bob Barker announced to the world that ‘Miss New Zealand, Miss Lorraine Downes, is now Miss Universe 1983’. It was a historic moment for the competition organisers, for New Zealand and for the 19 year old model with the winningRead more
In regard to Bob Brockie’s recent article in the Dominion Post (24 June 2013, page A8), here is some rationale for viewpoints about plants that some commentators have teasingly called “eco-fascism”. Instead, they are logical expressions about the conservation of New Zealand’s biota and ecosystems, including their genetic integrity. ForRead more
Project manager and editor Colin Miskelly concludes his two-part blog on personal highlights from the New Zealand Birds Online website project. To see the first part, visit New Zealand Birds Online – a few of my favourite things: Part 1. Identify that bird The concept was simple – a three-step photographicRead more
My previous blog featured New Zealand native plants that are cultivated overseas. However, some of our native plants, including many of the species I recently saw in UK gardens, have gone ‘rogue’ and are considered invasive species in some countries. For example our pohutukawa (New Zealand Christmas tree; Metrosideros excelsa)Read more
New Zealand Birds Online has been by far the largest and most complex project that I have been involved with since joining the Te Papa team 3 years ago. Now, one month after the launch of the website, is an opportune time to take a step back and reflect onRead more
Lately I’ve spent a lot of time researching the soldiers that were part of WW1’s 1st Māori Contingent. In a letter sent back home, Lieutenant Henare Kohere who was in the 2nd Māori Contingent, spoke about arriving in Egypt and being welcomed by the remainder of the first. When weRead more
Earlier this year, Te Papa received a request from scientists in Australia for a tooth sample from legendary race horse Phar Lap. The scientists are hoping to extract DNA from the tooth. Then they will be able to compare Phar Lap’s DNA with other horses. Press release from the scientistsRead more
We have recently launched NZ Birds Online, an encyclopaedia of New Zealand birds. I have been involved in this project for 18 months, from the IT side of things, and it’s been an absolute pleasure all along! I’m an identification geek (among other geekily obsessions). If I have taken aRead more
The paper conservation section of the Conservation and Object Support team at Te Papa was pleased to host Liisi Hakala, from Helsinki’s Metropolia University in Finland, for a three month internship from March to June this year. Liisi is about to enter her final year of a four-year bachelor’s degreeRead more
New Zealand plants have a long history of cultivation overseas. In the UK one of the most well known New Zealand plants is the ‘Torquay palm’, which we know as the cabbage tree (Cordyline australis). Cabbage trees, which botanically-speaking are not palms, were first grown in the UK in theRead more
As Te Papa hosts we get to see, interact and work with some amazing things. Since I started 4 years ago I have been immersed in the final 24 hours of Pompeii, spent my days with works by some of the great European masters, been surrounded by the intricate tapaRead more
Take 5 primary schools, 3 Te Papa educators and 5 curators and combine them with a ute-full of science gear, 30 litres of liquid nitrogen and a big bowl of slime, and what do you have? That would be Te Papa’s Primary Science Week outreach programme! For 5 days in MayRead more
Whilst recently holidaying in Bristol in the UK I was amazed at the abundance and variety of ferns growing on the stone walls around the city. The spleenwort or Asplenium ferns seem to be the most common ferns of this habitat. This genus also occurs in New Zealand and includesRead more
