A falcon with one claw scrunched up is standing on an old burnt log.

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 seventeenth blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while walking through the treeless landscapes of South Canterbury, from the south bank of the Rakaia River to the former construction town of Twizel in the heart of the McKenzie Basin.Read more

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A night sky with a tent and people down on the ground.

As we mark the anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastation over parts of the North Island, Mātauranga Māori Curator Amber Aranui thought it poignant to reflect on the year, what has taken place and where communities are now, and how Te Papa continues to support them. Here she focuses on her own experiences with the hapori she is connected to, Omāhu in Hawke’s Bay.  Read more

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In: Behind the scenes, Māori
A screenshot of several thumbnails of plant specimens.

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

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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

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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

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In: Behind the scenes, Science

Selwyn Muru, (Ngāti Kurī, Te Aupōuri, Te Pātū, Ngāti Rēhia, Muri Kahara, Te Whakatōhea) passed away in January 2024. Muru was a gifted and influential artist, as well as a writer, broadcaster, teacher and orator. Here, Contemporary Art Curator Hanahiva Rose reflects on Muru’s work and legacy. E hika māRead more

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In: Art, Māori
A sepia photo of a woman in a swimming costume sitting on a wet sandy beach.

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

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In: Art, History, Science