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 nineteenth blog in the series, Colin describes birds encountered while walking through Motatapu Station to Arrowtown then Queenstown, then up the Greenstone Track and past the Mavora Lakes to State Highway 49.Read more
Did you know that there were a lot of women photographers in Aotearoa New Zealand before 1960? To mark this year’s International Women’s Day tomorrow, and its theme ‘inspire inclusion’, Photography Curator Lissa Mitchell introduces some of them and their stories. So what kind of photography did women make? ForRead more
Botanists and mycologists have collected and studied fungi from the subantarctic islands since 1840. However, there is still much to learn about the mycoflora of these islands. We were fortunate to have a mycologist, Toni Atkinson, on our research team as part of the Strannik 2023 Auckland Island Expedition. Learn more about some of the collections we made and research being done on the fungi of Motu Maha Auckland Islands.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 eighteenth blog in the series, Colin describes the birds (and lizards) encountered while exiting the McKenzie Basin and walking over remote mountain passes to reach Lake Hāwea and Wānaka. He also expresses his dismay at the outcome of the Bird of the Century competition.Read more
In the ninth blog in the series on the Strannik 2023 Auckland Island Expedition, Botany Curator Heidi Meudt interviews the two organisers behind it. Rodney Russ and Alex Fergus discuss their subantarctic experiences, including those on the expedition, and offer their insights, passion, and above all hope for the futureRead more
Te Au | The Current is a forum for fresh ideas around Aotearoa New Zealand’s toughest environmental challenges. It is a part of Te Taiao | Nature and aims to collect and reflect diverse opinions that could spark real-world change. All anonymous responses are shared with researchers via data.govt.nz. Visitors have now submitted over 120,000 responses on more than 20 different environmental issues. So, how do we present all this data in interesting ways?Read more
Easily overlooked and regionally endangered, very little is known about the habits and needs of our endemic small onion orchid Microtis oligantha. As this year’s Victoria University of Wellington Summer Scholar at Te Papa and Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, Ben Carson aims to make the acquaintance of these unusual orchids.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 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
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
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
