Auckland Museum blog

As we near the end of Maori Language Week I believe there’s no better way to celebrate your love of the language than with a T-shirt.  T-shirts say it loud and proud like the one below in Identi-Tee, My T-shirt, My Story.

E Tu Stand Proud - part of our Identi-Tee exhibition

Why don’t you hop on over to our friends at Mr Vintage and show your support for Maori Language Week.  And when you wear your T-shirt you’ll be supporting the Maori language every day of the year.

Tahi Rua Toru T-shirt - from Mr Vintage

Or better still upload your Maori language T-shirts to www.identi-tee.com.  Tahi, rua, toru, wha, pukana!

Astrophotography captures images of celestial objects and phenomena and photographer Fraser Gunn says the clear skies of Lake Tekapo are the perfect vantage point.

“Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie country of New Zealand has become famous for its incredible natural beauty and clear skies. Surrounded by mountain ranges and coloured by tussock and vast glacial lakes it is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world.

“The altitude (more than 700m or 2300ft from the sea level) and the near ranges of the Southern Alps and Mt Cook keep the atmosphere dry and clear this is why the Mackenzie area is a great place for astronomy and skywatching. Tekapo is a photographer’s paradise in which I am happy to be living and working.”

The Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo against a starry sky

Fraser’s image (above) of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo against a starry sky is a stunning photograph.

He runs photography workshops from his house in Tekapo village and shares advice on how people can capture incredible images of stars, celestial phenomena, timelapse animations and ”star trails”. Below are some of the images from his portfolio.

Cat's Paw © Fraser Gunn

Centaurus A Galaxy © Fraser Gunn

Milky Way © Fraser Gunn

Star Trail - two hours © Fraser Gunn

And Fraser’s top tip for becoming a successful astrophotographer? Patience – and plenty of it. “Keep trying and you’ll get better at it. Sometimes it takes a whole night’s work to get two good shots or one minute of quality timelapse animation, but it’s worth it in the end.”

“It does take considerable effort but it is great fun and it’s a well-recognised and well respected form of photography.”

He also suggests getting your hands on the best quality telescope and photographic equipment you can find because it will last you for the rest of life.”

Fraser is speaking at Auckland Museum this weekend – Saturday (July 28) at 2pm or you can see more of his work here www.astrophotography.co.nz

Do you Zumba?  I do. Well I try to.  I know off by heart the days and times of the Zumba classes at my gym does that count?

Peace, Love, Zumba T-shirt on display in Identi-Tee

Of course I start the week with the best of intentions aiming to attend at least one or two of these classes but alas, the gym bag usually remains lonely and unloved in the corner of my office.  Today always turns into tomorrow and then tomorrow never comes.  Do you have the same problem?  Please tell me I’m not alone in my struggle.

My lonely gym bag waiting for some action

I met a grandmother the other day and when I mentioned Identi-tee she said she had an Tri Maori T-shirt to upload by the end of the month!  Well that put my pitiful efforts trying to Zumba to shame. Check out our website where you can see Cushla in her Iron Maori T-shirt.

Cushla in her Iron Maori T-shirt

As we countdown towards the London 2012 Olympic Games I realise that motivation is one of the crucial factors that sets me apart from some of our most promising Olympic athletes.  For those times I manage to make it to the gym, which as you might have guessed by now are few and far between, no pain, no gain, becomes my mantra.  Ditch the workout and join the Zumba party as they say!  One day I will find my Peace, Love and Zumba in the meantime I’d love to know what sporting codes your T-shirts represent.

Maybe you have a special T-shirt like Kellie does that celebrates a Rugby Sevens tournament in France in honour of her brother.

Jepsen children wearing their Howard Hinton Rugby Sevens T-shirts

Maybe you competed in your Tribal games, Pa wars, Street Wars or maybe the Weetbix Kids Tryathlon.  What teams do you follow?  What sports do you play?  Got the T-shirt? Load it up and show the world www.identi-tee.com.

New Zealand Herald photographer Greg Bowker spends his life framing the daily news – often distilling the news down to a single image.

This week’s ”Photo of the Week” from our exhibition NZ-LIFE: New Zealand Geographic Award-Winning Photography 2009 – 2011 was taken by Greg in the wake of the first major Christchurch earthquake in September 2010.

DEJECTED : Louise Deans returns to her historic homestead at Home Bush for the first time since Saturday's mornings 7.1 earthquake that rocked Christchurch city and destroyed the famous Canterbury homes built in the 1900s. The Deans family have been farming in Canterbury since the 1840s. 09 September 2010 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Greg Bowker © Greg Bowker, New Zealand

“During an aerial survey of damage wrought by the September 4th earthquake in Canterbury, the remains of several historic homesteads were spotted near the epicentre in Darfield. I was awestruck by the magnitude of the devastation at the Deans’ 131-year-old homestead in particular. As I surveyed the damage, Louise Deans searched the rubble to salvage precious belongings. The grey stillness of the day combined with the sombre atmosphere provided a timeless record to the end of this historic building’s life, which would become an icon of the September 4th earthquake. Although the damage to property was severe, there was no loss of life, yet it was only a forerunner to a traumatising series of aftershocks, one of which—centred closer to Christchurch, in February—would devastate the CBD and claim many lives.”

The year before the first earthquake hit Christchurch, Greg was called to cover another devastating natural disaster – the aftermath of the 2009 Samoa tsunami. The images below also feature in our current exhibition – as a bleak but compelling photo story about the chaos and loss of life that Samoa faced immediately afterwards.

A woman in Saleapaga washing her clothes amongst the rubble © Greg Bowker

“The 2009 tsunami inundated the coastal margins the Samoa. Villages on the south coast of the most populated island, Upolu, were worst-affected by the wave, and at Saleapaga I found a woman washing clothes amongst the rubble (above). Like others, she was using what she could lay her hands to—a hose, half a bar of soap, and a bath tub twisted by the power of the great wave. The names of the deceased were recorded in lists at Sefo’s Funeral Parlor in Apia, while elders—masked to prevent the spread of disease—wait for family members. Eleven of the 143 confirmed dead at the time were buried during a national day of mourning at Tafaigata Cemetery, specially established for victims of the disaster. Seven New Zealanders were killed, among them Petria and Rebecca Martin who were on holiday from Hamilton. Their parents, Kerry and Lynne Martin, travelled to Samoa in the wake of the disaster to collect the bodies, and to grieve. Some 186 people lost their lives in the tsunami which left a further 3000 people homeless. The response to the disaster highlighted the importance of Samoa’s relationship with New Zealand and other South Pacific nations, who made significant contributions towards emergency relief and reconstruction.”

Elders wait for family members outside Sefo’s Funeral Parlour where the names of the deceased were listed © Greg Bowker

Seven New Zealanders were killed, among them Petria and Rebecca Martin who were on holiday from Hamilton. Their parents, Kerry and Lynne Martin, travelled to Samoa in the wake of the disaster to collect the bodies, and to grieve © Greg Bowker

Sarah Roberts comforts her three day old son, a premature baby boy called Tamatoa which means "Warrior" in Samoan at Moto'otua Hospital in Apia on Sunday. He was born after Sarah became stressed about the Tsunami that hit the Pacific Island and the massive loss of life © Greg Bowker

Greg Bowker will share more of his portfolio and experiences as a news photographer as part of the museum’s CAMERA Season of Photography expert sessions on Wednesday 25 July at 12.30pm in the CAMERA Lounge inside the exhibition space.

Graff art under Mangere Bridge

E ngā mana e ngā reo e ngā mātāwaka o te motu, tēna koutou katoa.

Ko Maungakiekie te maunga

Ko Waitemata te moana

Ko Mahuhu ki te Rangi te waka

Ko Ngati Whatua te Iwi

Ko Te taou, ko Te Uringutu, ko Nga Oho nga hapu

Ko Orakei te Marae

Ko Puketapapa te maunga

Ko Manuka o Hoturoa te moana

Ko Tainui te waka

Ko Waikato te Iwi

Ko Te Waiohua, Ko Ngati Mahanga nga hapu

Ko Makarau Ko Pukaki nga Marae

Ko Hana Maihi toku ingoa

Hana Maihi

Kia ora koutou, my name is Hana Maihi and I’m taking part in the the Urbanlife project. Over the last month Ngati Whatua Rangatahi have been getting stuck into the graff-mural project as the “Environment” stream of Urbanlife – finding a way to express our voice on environmental issues in Tamaki Makaurau. What an awesome first phase workshop it was too!  In between soaking up the Museum’s special collections, our korero with Darryl and Lui and visits to the graff-murals in Ponsonby and Mangere bridge, we got to mahi in Orakei to translate our ideas to sketch books and concrete walls.

The Urbanlife "Environment" group at Orakei

Beginning with a tour of the gun emplacements, we were fortunate to have the great minds of Darryl and Lui to inspire us with knowledge of the whenua and rakau.

Lui explaining the benefits of plants

Lui explaining the benefits of plants. Kawakawa is known for its cleansing properties and was traditionally a plant used for embalming.

DLT's pep talk: It won't happen overnight

DLT’s pep talk: We won’t be overnight Banksy’s but we can work with stencilling and free-hand spray-can work to create some awesome pieces.

Hikoi around Takaparawhau

A great day for a hikoi around Takaparawhau, a chance to soak up inspiration from the beautiful whenua and flora around us.

Lui talking about the whakapapa of whau

Lui talking about the whakapapa of whau, a tree that Rangatira of Ngati Whatua were previously buried underneath in the CBD. To make way for urban development, clippings were taken from this tree so it could be relocated along the motorway.

Looking at Banks florilegium and Arthur Isles photography in the museum library

Looking through the Auckland Museum Collections: Banks florilegium and Arthur Isles photography .

The whau plant in the Banks florilegium collection

A drawing of the whau plant in the Banks florilegium collection.

Inside the museum's pictorial collections: a photo from the Bastion Point, Takaparawhau occupation

Iconic photo from the Bastion Point, Takaparawhau occupation (from the Arthur Isles photography Collection) We wouldn’t have the land we have today if it wasn’t for Ngati Whatua tupuna.

Taking inspiration from DLT's previous graff art project at Orakei

Looking at DLT’s previous graff art project at Orakei gun emplacement.

More inspiration: DLT's graff art project under Mangere Bridge

DLT’s graff mural under Mangere Bridge. Tumeke skills! Check it out if you haven’t already. Darryl touched on the role of graff art in communites: particularly in the way that it can sometimes be the main form of self-expression and release for rangitahi. It’s awesome to be a part of a project that’s trying to change the stigma associated with tagging and graff-art and show that it can be positive art form within a community.

Graff art in Ponsonby

Stopped by Ponsonby to check out some Fresh Graffiti art. An awesome mix of cultures and patterns on the one wall.

Tumeke graff art in progress

Stumbled across some tumeke wall pieces. Taking tips from the pro’s at work, they showed us how it’s done.

Putting everything we've learned into practise

Translating inspiration into sketches and stencils for some graff-art practise.

On our third day we tapped into our inner Picasso and finally hit the walls for some can practise up at Takaparawhau. Time to put our stencils to the test. It was much harder than it looked, but it was a lot of fun once you got the hang of it.

Applying our burgeoning graff art skills up at Takaparawhau

We discovered it's much harder than it looks

Applying our burgeoning graff art skills up at Takaparawhau II

Applying our burgeoning graff art skills up at Takaparawhau III

I can’t wait for the next workshop. It’s going to be an exciting challenge to fit our ideas and designs into three panels, but with Darryl’s guidance it should be a blast.

He’s about to spend a month in London photographing the 2012 Olympic sporting action for the NZ Herald – it’s an incredible assignment but it’s not Brett Phibbs’ first Olympic assignment.

Brett Phibbs - Photographer of the Year

Brett has spent more than half his life as a newspaper photographer, including 19 years with the NZ Herald, and in that time he’s covered three Olympic Games, five Commonwealth Games, three Rugby World Cups, two America’s Cups and hundreds of news assignments.

In his 27 years as a newspaper photographer he has also covered hundreds of major news assignments including the aftermath of tsunami in Thailand and Samoa, the Christchurch earthquake, Kosovo War and the refugee crisis and Sir Edmund Hillary’s funeral.

His work has appeared in newspapers throughout New Zealand and in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Life, Time, Stern, Marie Claire and New Zealand Geographic magazine.

Several of Brett’s images feature in the current NZ-LIFE exhibition at Auckland Museum, which features a selection of the best, award-winning images from the past three years of the New Geographic Photographer of the Year competition.

Last year, adding to his pool of New Zealand and international photography awards, Brett was named “Photographer of the Year” in the national competition. Here are some of the photos that earned him the title and that feature in the NZ-LIFE exhibition.

In the wake of Samoa's 2009 tsunami three-year-old Aloali’i sits among husked coconuts

“Seleapaga, on the south coast of Samoa’s main island, was one of the villages worst-affected by the 2009 tsunami, which tore through the seaside fales claiming 186 lives. A year on, a new village had been constructed five kilometres inland. I spent a comparatively long time in this make-shift village, gained the trust of the locals and could move around almost unnoticed. Eventually I found three-year-old Aloali’i sitting among husked coconuts being dried for market. She had an unusual solitude. The light was low, but perfect. I positioned myself above her with a wide angle lens, and as she glanced up glanced up I released the shutter. Her eyes have everything.”

Electrical storm on Narrow Neck beach

“People stand in awe at Narrow Neck beach, North Shore, as an electrical storm lights up the skyline above Rangitoto Island late one Wednesday night in 2009.”

Comments from the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year competition judges about Brett’s work noted that “like good theatre, good photography relies on drama, humour and import. Brett Phibbs’ portfolio was rich in all.”

A soldier stands in the rain on Anzac Day

“Covering ANZAC day dawn services is always a challenge, historically it is very important, plus it is an emotional day for many. Being a reoccurring annual memorial event the challenge is to capture an image or moment that sums it up. ‘The soldier in the rain’, I think, captures that. The soldier is stoic in his duty, the rain is heavy, the air is cold, but he is unmoved.  The lighting is dark and adding to the mood is the flood lights that backlight the rain and it’s this, I think, that makes the picture come alive.”

“The backlighting made the rain standout against the dark background, the shutter speed was very important to capture the rain, too fast or too slow and the moment would have been lost.”

Tena koutou katoa,

Recently a member of the public wrote and asked why the Museum is celebrating Matariki, which they described as “a modern invention”.

I replied that Matariki is not a modern invention, it is a tradition that has been handed down through generations. It has been suppressed for a time, but people now feel more liberated, free to participate and able to choose connectedness and to learn more about a wide range of points of view.

I wrote: “Our month-long programme illuminates cultural and social facets and reflects scientific origins in the way-finding experiences of early peoples. Our literature invites people to explore themes and activities and to consider the ways that people pass on and sustain aspects of their culture and heritage; an opportunity for communities to come together to tell stories, sing, dance and do creative work; spreading understanding about the customs and practices of New Zealand’s first settlers; exploring the consequences of the migration of peoples and ideas…….”

One of the Museum’s jobs is to give people access to collections, to enable interchange and encourage the exploration of themes. Our Matariki programme just does that and has been has been attracting many people.

Wananga Maunga: Hikoi up Maunga Whau (Mt Eden)

For example, in the first of our series of wananga ‘beyond the walls’, people joined us up Maunga Whau (Mt Eden) to hear perspectives on what our mountains represent, with colourful inputs from archaeologist Louise Furey, tangata whenua  Pita Turei and volcanologist Jan Lindsay.

Last Saturday the focus shifted to Takaparawha (Bastion Point), where we explored native plant regeneration and learned about medicinal properties of native flora and fauna, with inspiration from botanist Ewen Cameron, tangata whenua and horticulturalist Char Wiapo and rongoa specialist Rob McGowan.

Ewen made the important point that the Museum’s collections and their records connect people and knowledge across generations. In this case, it was the methodical work to create the herbarium by the distinguished past Museum director, Thomas Cheeseman (who was secretary of the Museum Institute and Curator for almost 50 years until his death in 1923). His work now enables people to know what was growing at Orakei in times before urbanisation and in turn to plan a restoration that suits the land, the birds, the plants and the people who make their home there; whakamana, nga taonga tuku iho, hei whakataki i nga ra ki muri … honouring the past, embracing the present, guiding our future.

Grass specimens Thomas Cheesman (pictured) collected at Orakei Point in Oct 1878.

This coming Saturday more of our audience will have an opportunity to participate in the Wananga Puoro, led by Curator Maori Chanel Clarke and Taumata member Bernard Makoare around Auckland Zoo and the newly opened Te Wao Nui a Tane native bird sanctuary.

Entirely self-taught “save for a lesson as a young teenager by my camera enthusiast father”, David Lloyd secured selection for Wildlife Photographer of the Year with a shot that required foresight and patience.
 
He was in Kenya’s Masai Mara when he encountered a giraffe at close quarters, and saw a second one on the horizon. He got himself into position and lifted his heavy lens to compose the image. What he waited for, though, was something that would inject life into the scene: a tail flick.
 
‘I didn’t expect that I would have to wait as long as I did. I was begging the giraffe in the distance not to move out of view and begging the one near me to flick its tail. My arms were aching from hand-holding the lens and were at the point of giving up when it finally did so.’
 
In the Flick of a Tail not only made the final cut in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition – one of 108 images chosen from more than 40,000 entries – it was also selected as the cover image for this year’s Wildlife book.

In the flick of a tail © David Lloyd, New Zealand

It’s the first time a black and white photograph has been chosen for the cover.
 
“The reaction to the cover and of being chosen out of the 40,000 is still of disbelief sometimes – I still find myself surprised when I see the book in bookshops. I’ve bought and admired the books for 20 years and now I find myself on one.”

Lovestruck © David Lloyd, New Zealand

“I’ve had a lifelong interest in both photography and natural history, helped by the museum, so it seemed natural to combine the two through wildlife photography. I enjoy fine art too, so there’s an element of that in there too.”

Zebra Pair © David Lloyd, New Zealand

As far as what it takes to win? “My advice is to find something that the judges have not seen before or at the very least something that will surprise them and make them react in some way. An absolutely perfect photo of a more common image won’t be sufficient, even of a rarer animal. It has to be striking and different.” 
 
Hear David speak at Auckland Museum on July 14 at 2pm.

David Lloyd

Today I live my professional life as a Graphic Designer at the Auckland Museum. But this was not always so, and last week I was reminded of this while wandering past our Identi-tee exhibition. There, front and centre, was a yellow t-shirt that caught my eye. It took me on a journey back to my former life in the military, and reiterated the very nature and purpose of Identi-tee – to expose the evocative voice of the humble T-shirt.

The Peace Monitoring Group t-shirt worn by the troops

In 1998 I was an Officer in the New Zealand Army and I was deployed to Bougainville with the Peace Monitoring Group. It was a defining experience of my life filled with really special moments that are as clear as though they were yesterday. I wore that same yellow t-shirt while conducting my duties as a Patrol Commander in the Arawa sector – the tricky central area where the open-cut mine that had caused the original conflict was located, and where the villages were remote. And by ‘remote’ I mean several days walk through uncharted jungle, where the sky was so clear we couldn’t distinguish the Southern Cross from all the other stars. And where an entire generation of children had never seen a foreigner, a soldier, a woman with hair that was straight and flat.

Karen with some of the local children in Bougainville

It was here that I was forced to reevaluate my own centre because, at 23, despite being responsible for lives and missions I was still so very young in the world. I learned that happiness truly is not equal to wealth, status, possessions or place. It is directly proportional to our sense of belonging, of community and family strengthened by good leadership, tradition and culture. Most importantly, I learned how crucial peace and stability are to basic human rights. I was a small cog in an important wheel and it gave me a real sense of professional and personal satisfaction.

Karen and the Colonel at Bougainville Airport

Back in the present, I am reminded that our lives are so varied and so rich that it is important that we talk to our colleagues beyond the business of here and now. We all have other lives, past lives, other experiences and it makes us a very surprising and interesting group indeed.

And all this flew through my head as I passed an object on display! Talk about the power of the place where I am most privileged to spend my day.

Read about Karen’s peacekeeping duties on the Sinai Peninsula in 2000.