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
Paperskin – the art of tapa cloth is closing this weekend, on Sunday 12 September. If you haven’t been to see these amazing tapa works, now is the time to come into Te Papa. It will also be your last chance for some time to see the 22 metre Tongan ngatu (tapa), made 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
Installation of Te Papa’s new history exhibition Slice of Heaven – Twentieth Century Aotearoa continues – 29 days to go until opening on 2 October 2010… The views from the bridge on Level 5 give a taste of what’s to come and the topics that the exhibition will explore. Here is something evoking theRead more
For over a decade National Services Te Paerangi has been supporting iwi in the development of taonga databases. Read more
As many of you know, Phar Lap is on his way back to Melbourne for the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup to take place later this year. Phar Lap was foaled on 4 October 1926 in Seadown, near Timaru on the South Island of New Zealand. Bought byRead more
When I got to work this morning, this was waiting for me: A few weeks back, we asked pupils from some of the schools in New Zealand to send us a postcard telling them why they love their town for our Conservation Week display. This year the theme is WeRead more
Changes are underway at Te Papa. The build for the new history exhibition Slice of Heaven – Twentieth Century Aotearoa has started. In under one months time, on 2 October 2010, the exhibition will open to the public. The walls around the space have been up for a while but things are now really startingRead more
On June 25th, Te Papa hosted its annual Senior Science Careers Day. College students from several area schools came to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a scientist working at Te Papa. Two of us from the Botany team participated in the event: Carlos Lehnebach (Curator) andRead more
Music and museum exhibitions haven’t always gone together – all part of the old idea that a museum should be a solemn and silent place. Today, sound compositions in exhibitions are being used as part of the visitor experience. They offer a different way to approach the things on display – oneRead more
Aquarium like scenery, deep-sea coral and sponge gardens (an extremely rich and rare habitat), hungry groupers and sharks, as well as a frenzy of deep-sea eel-like creatures: the Three Kings Islands have it all for you. In April 2010, a team of five scientists from Te Papa and Massey UniversityRead more
In March 2009, Te Papa was gifted a small but significant collection of objects from Derek J. Wilson. This collection included two Tongan fangufangu or nose flutes that were made from bamboo. Historically, fangufangu were used to awaken the Tongan royalty from their sleep. The newly acquired fangufangu, have intactRead more
On Tuesday 20 July 2010 Gus Fisher ONZM passed away at the age of 89. While many people today recognise Gus Fisher as one of the country’s most generous and enthusiastic arts patron Gus first rose to national prominence in the world of high fashion. Gus Fisher was the creativeRead more
Hello all! Welcome to my first post here on the Te Papa Blog. My name is Cindy Lee and I’m an intern working in the Object’s Conservation Lab at the Tory Street Conservation Laboratories. This internship is a part of my degree requirements for my Masters Degree in Archaeological andRead more
