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The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is an architectural, cultural and artistic wonder. Wellington's delightful complex entertains, educates and engages thousands each year. |
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Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers explore Te Papa and its treasures. |
WELLINGTON MUSEUM OFFERS SPLENDID EXHIBITS, WEALTH OF ART, CULTURE, HISTORY,
USER FRIENDLY WONDERS
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
A WONDERFUL MUSEUM with myriad exhibits and inspiring insights into New Zealand's rich culture awaits visitors to this small, intriguing country. You'll find a stunning array of displays as varied as the country itself when you visit this six-story masterpiece on the waterfront: Wellington's Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongerewa is truly "a container of treasures."
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A Maori meeting house is kept watch over by a Maori docent, who answers questions and keeps vigil. |
Its holdings go back more than a century, to a collection established in 1865. In those days, the museum was known as the Colonial Museum. It was renamed the Dominion Museum in 1907, and in 1936 it was relocated to a new building. More change, mergers and moves were to come before its present incarnation.
THE MUSEUM building is in itself an architectural wonder,
befitting the wonders inside. It has a feeling of invention and innovation but with scholarly research behind its myriad exhibits. The Maori meeting house is built to specific detail, watched over by a proud Maori docent who stands sentinel and answers questions.
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Gallipoli's horrors are described in detail in an emotionally charged exhibit. |
Children can learn ukulele or guitar, practice on a Maori drum, or wander nearby to experience the sounds and vibrations of an earthquake.
Rugby, gay rights and rock 'n' roll all share the spotlight in this marvelous place, which also takes a look at the Commonwealth's influence through the years. Birds play a part in the museum's exhibitions, too, where the beloved kiwi's life and times are described and vividly displayed.
WE DIDN'T HAVE time to browse all 800,000 artworks, photographs, collection objects, and botanical and zoological specimens -- that would demand several more visits. But did take an hour to see one of several changing exhibits, an intense study of World War I's Gallipoli campaign, which brought the horrors of war home in huge sculptures, recordings and artfully curated displays of soldiers' personal effects.
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The rich history of New Zealand as a point in the Pacific Island "triangle" involves many religions which are artfully explored at Te Papa. |
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New Zealand's kiwi is the focal point of an intriguing exhibit. |
DURING ITS name changes, quality has reigned -- from its 1972 morph as the Dominion Museum to the National Museum, then years later when a parliamentary act in 1992 merged two institutions -- museum and art gallery -- and the present name emerged.
Besides a history, art and culture lesson -- from refugees to dinosaurs -- the museum expertly combines learning with fascination and fun. You can step inside various masks and armor, pretending to be a knight or an extra in a science fiction film. Witness a giant squid in an enormous display.
We enjoyed the museum with families, school groups and couples from all over the world.
Don't miss it if you're anywhere near "Kiwi Country." It's awe inspiring. And Wellington has other treasures, including the home and garden of groundbreaking modernist writer Katherine Mansfield.
https://www.katherinemansfield.com/
https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
The memorial to the tragedy of "9-11" at the new World Trade Center
building is a striking architectural accomplishment: www.whereiscookie.com
We took the family and everyone enjoyed-- three happy generations.
ReplyDeleteProud to be in the same hemisphere with this unique treasure.
ReplyDeleteFantastic story on a captivating place. You captured it!
ReplyDeleteEngaging museum to be sure, so varied and beautifully presented exhibits.
ReplyDeleteLove that place! To not haul around a bird book on my 2-week trip there I took pictures of all the stuffed birds in the museum and used the photos for bird ID.
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