Review: Krishnan’s Dairy

Review by Talia Carlisle. A wise man once told me that real loves grows, and so does my love of Indian Ink’s now legendary tale of Krishnan’s Dairy that wound up its final season in Wellington this week. The production is a well polished gem in the crown of creative team Jacob Rajan and Justin […]

Things are getting surreal at Te Papa

We might be stuck in New Zealand for a while, but that doesn’t mean the world can’t come to us (especially if they’re rich, apparently). That’s the cool thing about the new exhibition Surrealist Art: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen He Toi Pohewa: He Toi Marupō o Muhiama o Boijmans Van Beuningen. You’ll get a […]

Toi Art at Te Papa – a first floor glimpse

When you’re stepping into Te Papa’s new gallery space Toi Art, be prepared for something a little different from your standard gallery experience. Toi Art is a gallery space 20 years in the making, it takes over two floors of Te Papa and the new entrance gallery is larger than any space at Te Papa. I […]

Review: The Undertow

The Undertow is a massive theatrical epic presented by 35 performers from Te Rākau Theatre. Written by Helen Pearse-Otene and directed by Jim Moriarty it follows the story of seven generations of Wellingtonians – Māori and Pākehā – as they carve out a life in Ōwhiro. Each of the four plays explores the experience of […]

Review: Te Pō

Three men gather in a room. Detective Inspector Brett is looking for Bruce Mason who has gone missing. Reverend Athol Sedgewick had dinner with Mason the night before last and is possibly the last person to see him before he disappeared. Werihe has an eight o’clock appointment with the playwright. No-one has any idea where he […]

Unveiling Unveiled

Better than Christmas morning was how this non fashionista* described Monday morning at Te Papa when Tom and  I witnessed Keira Miller from London’s Victoria & Albert Museum unpacking an embroidered silk satin wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell in 1933. Keira is in Wellington to supervise the unpacking and setting up of Unveiled: 200 years […]

Te Papa turns TEN

Te Papa Museum, Wellington, New ZealandWholly schmolly, has it really been 10 years … yes, it has!

In my early days in Wellington it was a goal of my ex-wife and I to at least stay in Wellington for the opening of Te Papa .. and now, here we both are able to celebrate its 10th Birthday.

Who remembers the mural-ed fence around the building site with the wee holes to check out progress?

I love Te Papa and it is just awesome to be able to take my son and daughter along to it as well (of course they adore the place). Mind you those coloured panels facing Cable Street are still a bit crap in my mind.

Te Papa (that’s “(y)our place”) celebrates its first decade on Saturday 16th February with a host of events including:
(after the break)

Glancing at the Stars

If this were the Aucklandista site, this’d surely be about Millie. But it’s not. Besides, we’d never heard of her until yesterday. Millie Elder? Millie Holmes?

Anyway… that’s just alluding to celebrity gossip to lure you in. And to trap the googlers… yoohoo!!

Here in the Capital city, when we talk about stars we talk about the really big ones! Real stars.

Matariki

Matariki.

In May or June each year, just before dawn (yeah right!) look toward the North Eastern horizon & you should see the Matariki constellation. The Greeks called it Pleiades (although they view it upside down to us) or the Seven Sisters, the Japanese called it… Subaru!

To Maori, it marks the New Year, and is associated with the Winter Solstice. The name itself literally refers to the Eyes of God.

This month till the 1st of July, Te Papa are hosting a Matariki Festival, click through for further details.

Further information on Matariki itself, can be found here, here & here.