'Te Papa' Museum, Wellington, New Zealand (image heavy)

Kia ora. (after using the 'search' function like a good boy) I see Tiki-Kate posted pics of NZ Tikis from a visit a few years back, but am posting this specifically as a thread highlighting 'Te Papa Tongawera' Museum, located in New Zealands capitol city, Wellington (lower North Island). Please feel free to add pics or info.

The building itself is an amazing piece of architecture and the various interactive exhibits and top-end art showings are of world standard, but Ive kept the focus here to the Polynesian and Tiki related things that caught my eye. Im sure this will do no justice to the amazing experience that is 'Our Place' but really nothing short of visiting personally ever could.. Please see beyond my battles with artificial lighting, cabinets, glass, camera settings, lack of info, etc. In reality the museum is a wealth of infomation and highly organised, but almost overwhelming in its content. The random nature of my pics reflect the childlike wonder and excitement of my visit. Youve heard the expression 'like a kid in a sweetshop'..?

I recently visited the museum/gallery for the third time, the last being 5-6 years ago and never before with such a keen interest in Polynesian visual arts. Yes, the TC Ohana were there with me in spirit also & it was with you all in mind that I snapped the following, in no particular order.

I have deliberated about posting these pics, but then figured if punters are allowed to take pics then there's no harm in posting them here. For those who ever manage to visit, Im sure these will in no way lessen the experience and I also figure that it will benefit the many more of you who may never get the opportunity. Easy maths. Enjoy..

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Contemporary Maori leadlight window:

Wharenui:

Inside, stories of Maori life and custom can be heard:

"Oi mate, didnt you read the sign? No shoes":

Waka-huia (feather/treasure box):

This large model vaka can be viewed from an adjoining room, via a window that projects holographic images of voyaging Polynesians onto the vessel & tells the tales of the migrations:

The two following Tiki figures are details at the front of the vaka - couldnt get them to focus, spooky:

Marquesan club:

Tortoiseshell/shell breastplate pendant:

Tongan whalebone breastplate pendant:

Maori 'Tokotoko'/talking sticks:

Maori Chieftains 'Toki Poutangata' & pounamu 'mere':

Hei-tiki, matau, pekapeka:

Large toki/adzes:

Tekoteko figure:

Big guys (10 feet+), 'armless enough:

Tongans:

Another multi-media display - 'creation myths':

"Just leave me here to die" - pounamu boulder, large enough to make a hei-tiki for every TC member:

Rarotongan staff-God, business end:

Maori Waka prow:

Stilted 'pataka'/food storehouse:

'Pare'/door lintel:

Toki/adzeheads, partially reworked into hei-tiki:

A friend of mine, Hawaiian 'Palaoa' pendant:

Adzes, adornment & tattoo chisels:

Marq stone double-tiki + bone hair ornaments (thinking of you BK!)

Pounamu 'Mere'/short-clubs:

Marquesan warrior:

Maori 'Karetau'/animated marionette doll:

Large stone anchor. Reputedly from the migratory waka of 'Kupe' from Rarotonga (about 2' cube):

Unidentified borrowed child, blissfully ignorant of the significance of being asked to pose through 'Kupes' hole'. (nervous parents out of shot):

My hometown, the year of my birth. My stone?:

Kiwis:

E.Island Moai-Kavakava + Tongan figure:

Maori 'matau'/fish hooks:

Several Maori 'greats' in one cabinet (as seen in many books) Re-Niho/peirced/split whaletooth pendant, old stone breastplate (sharks), kure/dog amulet, another archaic 'double-koru/hook' pendant, and a sexy-as toki/adze:

Assorted whackers and dongers:

Contemporary Wharenui, designed and production overseen by Cliff Whiting:

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Phew! Hope you enjoyed the tour. :)

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Tama

[ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2008-07-16 01:57 ]

Wicked! We ended up being very short of time on the day I visited, and I couldn't for the life of me find the Pacific collection. As it was, I only had time to visit the Wharenui and the Ngai Tahu exhibition anyway. Even more regrettably, I didn't take my camera, but you have made my day with this:

For me one of the highlights of the trip - from memory, found at Ellesmere (my old stomping ground), and possibly an eel club (how could they ever know...?)
For such an amazing transitional period / proto-Polynesian piece of art, I'm amazed this club is not pictured in any books, nor have I ever seen it on display in Canterbury Museum.

You Kidding? How could I enjoy that tour when you forgot to warn the need of DROOL Towels! YES I Enjoyed the tour immensely, more than you can imagine!
Thank you for taking the time to get such great photos and share them here. My head is still spinning. I think I'll be enjoying this tour for a LONG Time!
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!

WOW, Tama!! Great shots, that was definitely worth the wait. Lots of cool stuff in that museum.

Wow, very nice tour ! Thanks for sharing those wonderful pix. WOW :o
I need to go back carving :wink:

Benjamin.

simply amazing.

do you have a higher resolution photo of the fish hooks?

Wow. You covered that very well, Tama. I didn't get to spend as much time at Te Papa as I would have liked, but I was trying to cover all of the North Island in 11 days. Makes me long for Hell Pizza...

Here's a shot of the entrance. (It's a really big building.)

A few more tiki pics.

And the other reason I had to go to Te Papa, I'm still a total Split Enz fanatic.

Carving Boys: I thought you might like the pics - (sorry no larger pics of the matau Perry)..

Tiki-Kate: Thanks so much for adding those pics; I was kicking myself for not taking any of the building itself but it was pouring with rain the day we visited. There are a few more rocks around the frontage now.
Im also a huge Split Enz fan - saw them twice as a teenager & the Crowded House lineup two or three times. All of those suits (+ many more) were designed by band member Noel Crombie btw.

:)

coolest pics Tama - ty for sharing

KS

Top snapshots there Tama , what I could see of them .
This internet cafe computer here in Fox Glacier will only show the first few .... and then only sometimes .....
bugga !
I'll have to view them again sometime .
slainte ,

Jock from Fox

Wow, awesome! Thanks for going to the trouble with all the pics, much appreciated! :D

THAT just blew my mind.....wow

It is typical that the one country i felt i'd use my camera the most during this round the world trip, is the country with the extreme cold that killed my digital camera.

THANK YOU TAMA!
felt like i just had an entire museum downloaded into the brain!
in-frickin-credible.....

OK...so I am like a year late to this thread and just now figuring out Taniwha is the little creature that gets all the attention in the carvings and paintings here. I have always been a Split Enz fan and love the "Dirty Creature" song. It is always amazing when I can put 2 and 2 together and come up with 5!!! Gheeez :)

Anyway was searching the net about Taniwha and here too. Those museum pictures are awesome. I was lucky to hook up with a group of friends a couple of years ago for a trip to New Zealand. One of the gals is married to a Kiwi...they both took a month off from their jobs and toured us around the North and South island...what a beautiful country. They live in Auckland and the museum there is so similar to the one pictured here. It brought back a lot of memories for me looking at these pictures. At the time I was not into Tiki so wasn't even aware how much that museum and the visit to the Rotorua Maori center would play a part in my life. My favorite place to visit there was the Agrodome http://www.agrodome.co.nz/ the sheep show is so amazing and the dog part of it is hysterical. Has anyone here been to see that?

I would so love to go to NZ again and the wonderful Auckland Museum...it was awesome. http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/

I will be dreaming of Taniwha tonight.

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2009-02-27 21:12 ]

Wow, great photos Lot of SPLIT ENZ fans out there !

I saw them play twice in San Francisco(they were wearing those suits for one of the shows)

SF's Kennel Club was a "way station" for all the touring New Zealand bands

I saw the Chills, The Bats, The Verlaines, Tall Dwarfs, and Straight Jacket Fits

On 2009-02-28 06:45, Rum Runner wrote:
I saw the Chills, The Bats, The Verlaines, Tall Dwarfs, and Straight Jacket Fits

How about Epi Shalfoon & His Melody Boys?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmhf15-DAxg&feature=related

Rare footage of New Zealand's first jazz band captured on film!

I am flabbergasted that nobody is commenting on this amazing clip.

To me, this performance is, in its weird jolly Western way being totally incongruous in its aboriginal surroundings, a beautiful allegory, the personification of the mad culture clash that is.... TIKI STYLE!

I could watch this over and over again. :D

yeah its neat they are playing there.
but man that was a horrendous sound.

not bad playing, just bad sound quality.

sorry to poo poo Sven.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Must agree with you Sven, this is epic! What an amazing treasure.

"Epi Shalfoon, born in Opotiki in 1904 of a Maori mother and a Syrian father, became the most popular figure in the history of dance music in Auckland."