Down Under: Te Papa to Blenheim

TE PAPA MUSEUM

On Friday by prior arrangement, we were hosted at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, by Liz Hay and some of her colleagues.  

After a warm welcome, we chatted over coffee before meeting with the director, Garant and Dave, COO. Over lunch we had more time with Liz along with Patrick, who oversees the installation teams around the world of their traveling exhibits, and Mark, collection manager. The California Academy of Sciences presented their exhibit, “Whales,” which the Chief Penguin and I saw in New York before he signed the contract for it to come to San Francisco. It was/is a fabulous exhibit which incorporates material about the Maori culture, giving it a social history component in addition to the science and study of those large mammals.

The museum opened in its current location on the waterfront in 1998 and it’s a beautiful and striking building. We were with museum staff all day and consequently, wished the day had been longer so that we could have explored even more of it. Mariah, our guide for the public floor and part of the paid staff, is Maori and she gave us a lot of context for the exhibits. She is both proud of and a bit defensive about her Maori heritage so touring with her provided a perspective we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. She grew up in Wellington and said as an “urban Maori,” there was a lot that she was not exposed to. Only recently, as an adult, has she been learning the Maori language. Her siblings have not embraced their Maori roots in the same way. She also stated that since the 1990’s there has been more positive feeling between Maoris and Caucasians, and more Maori have been elected to serve in parliament.

The second half of our tour included going behind the scenes to see the collections. These Maori artifacts are viewed as sacred and, therefore, we were required to leave our backpacks and handbags in a locker outside. Upon entering, Mark, the collection manager, gave a short prayer in Maori before we proceeded. Their collection includes weapons of various sorts made of stone or wood, beautiful woven baskets, and gorgeous ceremonial robes made with feathers from various birds.

Today, collection managers in New Zealand museums must be Maori themselves if it’s a Maori collection. Mark is Maori, did some required training, and is currently studying toward a master’s degree. He is also a weaver. Around his neck, he wore a pendant made of New Zealand greenstone, a type of jade. Before we left the collection room, he gave another prayer, returning us to earth and grounding us. The Maori are a superstitious people. Outside the door at the water fountain, he took a few drops of water and sort of sprinkled them over his head and face, a cleansing act. We copied his actions.

Aside from the Maori artifacts, meetinghouse, and large-scale renditions of the Waitangi Treaty on opposite walls in English and Maori, the museum has an art collection, several cafes, and an exhibit on the Battle at Gallipoli that has been open for two and a half years and is still wildly popular. It features the stories of six individuals involved in this WWI battle (soldiers, commanders, and a nurse) with lots of photos and commentary from journals and letters. But the most striking thing about it is the six human figures, 2.5 times life size, that are rendered realistically down to the hairs on their head.  

BLENHEIM AREA

On Saturday, we flew from Wellington to Blenheim which is about 20 minutes in the air, but far preferable to the often rough crossing of the Cook Strait which takes three to four hours. At Blenheim we were met by a chatty driver, named Matty. A young man who grew up on a vineyard nearby, he now works as a driver and boat captain for one of the local firms. His grandfather had been a sheep farmer, but when grape growing became popular in the late 70’s and early 80’s, he converted his land from sheep to grapes. Today the family sells all their grapes to one of the big vintners. Matty took us the roughly 20 minute drive from the airport to Picton, a small burg where we would get the water taxi out to our hotel on the Queen Charlotte Sound.  

We had a couple hours to wait before our scheduled taxi on the Cougar Line and it was lunchtime. We chose a café on the street facing the beach and enjoyed fish and chips and fish cakes. It was sunny and quite warm until a stiff breeze came up, chilling us considerably. We wandered the short side streets checking out the shops and restaurants. Cruise ships dock here, which explained the unexpected number of gift and souvenir shops and the many small restaurants.

The Cougar 1 could accommodate up to 28 people if some sat outside. We were happily inside for the 35-minute trip. The wind raised a few whitecaps making the trip rocky for a bit, but then the boat just bumped along until we reached the dock at Bay of Many Coves.    

This is a secluded woodsy property of small buildings clustered up the steep hillside. Dinner several levels above the waterfront was lovely and the whole place is very peaceful. The busy season starts in November and there were only a few other guests.

The rest of the day we mostly vegged out—reading, gazing at the view, and enjoying the tasty meals and slower pace.

Note:  Te Papa photos are from web; other photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).