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E Kete: Baskets from the Cook Islands

In celebration of Cook Islands language week (31 July – 6 August 2016) we have installed three kete or baskets from the southern Cook Islands in our Te Kākano display case.

The Reverend's gift

This whāriki was given to the Reverend Jasper Calder by Māori who wanted to recognise his mana or status. The mat could have been used as an altar cloth, given its small size.

The Mulvany Sisters

Shoppers walking down Darby Street in 1929 might have come upon an interesting sight in a studio window - a woman sitting, busily weaving at a loom.

The Wynyard Testimonial

Although made in Victorian-era London, this sterling silver epergne clearly depicts a New Zealand scene - a Māori man, woman and child, and a British soldier underneath a ponga tree.

Brockenhurst: The No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital

A hospital set up near an English village in the summer of 1916 was the site of great medical innovation and also a source of comfort for injured New Zealand soldiers far from home.

In praise of humble bones

The Land Vertebrate collection at Auckland Museum has more than three thousand bones from mammals, reptiles and birds. But why are bones important?

The eruption of Mt Tarawera

The Mt Tarawera eruption in 1886 is probably the most devastating eruption to occur in Aotearoa New Zealand since Polynesian settlers arrived in the 14th century.

A wedding in the North African desert

The wartime wedding of Captain Thomas Blake and Connie Deane captured imaginations when it was reported in newspapers in late 1915. The ceremony took place at Zeitoun Camp, near Cairo, in full military style.

White kiwi, French poodles, and the problem of a world in pieces

It's night on Te Hauturu o Toi, Little Barrier Island, and a half moon glows softly behind the clouds. A movement off to our left alerts us and we dive into the brush and extract our prize - a baby North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli).

The Battle of Jutland

The reality of the sea as a First World War battleground is often overlooked. Yet, controlling shorelines and shipping lanes was as critical as achieving success on land.

The art of Samoan tātatau and tatau (tattooing and tattoo)

The tradition of tātatau and tatau is truly embedded in Samoan custom. One of the most sacred rites of passage for any Samoan is to receive a malofie or pe‘a for men and a malu for women.

The Battle of Crete

The sight of thousands of German paratroopers filling the Cretan sky signalled the beginning of one of the most dramatic battles of the Second World War.

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