Tamatea

Life on Pukenui Anchor Island as volunteer cook for the Kākāpō Recovery team

For two weeks in late March and early April 2026, Botany Curator Heidi Meudt took some time off botany work to be a Department of Conservation volunteer for birds – specifically, a volunteer cook for the Kākāpō Recovery team. For Heidi, this was the opportunity of a lifetime to visitRead more

By: Heidi Meudt

On: 11 Jun 2026

In: Behind the scenes, Science

Illustrates Te Papa's recent acquisition - a painting by William Hodges showing a Māori man and women in a double-hulled waka. They are in a stunning fiord location with mountains rising into the distance and a waterfall cascading down the hill on the right hand side.

Finding a painting in a landscape: locating the site of ‘Waterfall in Dusky Bay with Maori canoe’

In April 2019, Te Papa acquired a rare, early oil painting by William Hodges, artist on Captain Cook’s second voyage, titled Waterfall in Dusky Bay with Maori Canoe. Here, Te Papa tour host Bill Whelen reflects upon his journeys into Dusky Sound, and finding the exact location of Te Papa’s newly acquired painting.Read more

By: Te Papa

On: 18 Nov 2019

In: Art, History, Māori