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Hochstetter lecture - Celebrating our History

Lecture Ticket [copy] from Saunders, Alfred. 1841-1869. Reminiscences [copy]. The Nelson Provincial Museum, Archives Collection: A2767 qMS SAU: 356

29 September 2009 is the 150th anniversary of a lecture on the geology of the Nelson-Tasman region given by Ferdinand Hochstetter to an audience of 500 in the Wesleyan Hall in Nelson. On the 26th of September we are recreating an edited version of that lecture at the Nelson Provincial Museum. This event marks the final weekend of Ferdinand von Hochstetter - Father of New Zealand Geology and NZ Fossils - Dead Precious! The exhibitions will be open from 5.30pm prior to the lecture at 7pm. The lecture will be followed by a celebratory champagne supper to mark what we predict will be 10,000 visitors to these exhibitions since they opened on 9 May. Seating is limited to 50. The ticket price of $20 per person includes full sized prints of the two page supplement printed by the Nelson Examiner on 1 October 1859 that recorded Hochstetter's entire lecture, a full colour A3 copy of the hand coloured map by Hochstetter and Haast, and a complementary A3 colour print of the published map by the same authors. Tickets, which may be purchased from the museum or ordered by emailing ceo@museumnp.org.nz , will be a copy of the original lecture ticket.

School Holiday Programme

Plans are being made for a school holiday art programme based on the Butterflies exhibition. Watch for notification of this at the Museum, on our website, in the Nelson Mail and the community newspapers. If you would like us to send you information about this in a couple of weeks time please respond to education@museumnp.org.nz

There will be two sessions for younger children and two for a slightly older group. There will be a small charge for materials

Whats New

Recent Acquisition

A handmade totara corner cabinet with particular resonance to Nelson's German settlers has recently arrived back in Nelson. Its construction ties in with the second period of German settlement in Nelson and pages of The Colonist newspaper dated September 15, 1882, help date the cabinet to this period. They are hidden behind a lining of original wallpaper, which in itself is a rare find for a piece of furniture this age.

"It's quite crudely done,"William Cottrell, author of Furniture of the New Zealand Colonial Era, An Illustrated History 1830-1900, says. "The maker had some woodworking skills but if he had formal training he wouldn't have made it this way. He made the cabinet for himself. These homemade pieces are quite important because you will never get one of these corner cabinets like this again. It's unique.

"Nelson is one of the few areas where there is strong cultural influence other than English, Scots or Irish, and enough of them (German immigrants) that you can see their own culture in surviving pieces of furniture, like this. These German styles were still fresh in their minds. And though they might not have been cabinetmakers, they were building things that were familiar to them, before Englishness overpowered them." more >>

Source: Furniture for a colonial life by Karen Stade, Wild Tomato, August 2009

New Staff Member - Megan Hansen-Knarhoi

My name is Megan Hansen-Knarhoi and I am the Digital Cataloguing Technician at the Museum's Research Facility at Isel Park in Stoke.

I moved to Nelson from Auckland last month. I have studied and have a background in the culture and heritage sector, having previously worked at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. I also have an artist practice, and have exhibited nationally and internationally. Highlights include exhibiting in the New Zealand Pavilion at the 26th Sao Paulo Bienal, and inclusion in the The Real Art Roadshow: The Silver Truck, an exhibition of contemporary New Zealand art travelling around the country throughout 2009. Te Tau Ihu O Te Waka a Maui is a beautiful region and I am enjoying discovering the wealth of historical information about the land and its people. I am enjoying the challenges of developing and writing a new resource for The Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao which will be an informative research tool for our website.

Exhibitions

NZ Fossils - Dead Precious!

As we approach the last month of this exhibition it seems likely we will achieve the 10,000 figure that was suggested as a good target. The response from school groups has been really strong with over 2000 students visiting the exhibition with no admission charge. This is made possible due to the support of the LEOTC contract we have with the Ministry of Education. Preschool groups have made great use of the exhibition and it seems the fascination with "big scary monsters" remains as strong as ever - kids call the beasts by their correct name. Many of the fossils on display are on public view for the first time in their 100 million year history so this is almost certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The fossils collected by "NZ's Dinosaur Lady" - the late Joan Wiffen - have been particularly popular and greatly admired.

These fossils are the remains and evidence of things that lived in or near the land, we now call New Zealand, millions of years ago.

Sharktooth dolphin, Squalodon-like (cast). GNS Science: Otago 52

Pterosaur - Free to Good Home

This huge model of a Pterosaur hung for a number of years in a gallery at Otago Museum. When the pterosaur was taken off display it was put into storage. When staff at Otago Museum heard we were adding life-sized models of reptiles to the NZ Fossils - Dead Precious! exhibition, they kindly offered the pterosaur to the Nelson Provincial Museum. Transporting something of this size is not a trivial job but a sponsor was found who paid for the move from Dunedin. As I am sure our colleagues at Otago Museum were aware storing it is another problem so we are proposing to offer it free to a good home - it might make an interesting school project.

Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Father of New Zealand Geology
150th Anniversary of his survey of the Nelson Region

The Father of New Zealand Geology? Some people may want to debate his contribution. The links between this young geologist, the region he visited in 1859, and the Nelson Provincial Museum, are remarkable.

• He was invited to do a geological survey by the Nelson Provincial Government.
• He persuaded the Nelson Institute and Museum to procure a full moa skeleton for him.
• He delivered a full report on the potential of Dun Mountain as a mineral resource.
• His name lives on in geographical features, and in the names of a number of our native species.
• He recognised and described the monotis fossils which so many of us know from the hills above Richmond.
• He laid the foundation stone of the 1861 home of the Nelson Institute and Museum in Hardy Street.
• This took place on the same day, 26 August 1859, that the foundation stone was laid for the Provincial Government Building.
• In return for the moa skeleton Hochstetter arranged for a major collection of European fossils and minerals for our museum.
• In the 1960s the bulk of this collection was transferred to what is now known as GNS in Wellington.
• GNS are the principal provider of the fossils and knowledge contained in the NZ Fossils - Dead Precious! Exhibition.

A remarkable young scientist who went on to become Director of one of the world's great natural history museums in Vienna. Don't miss the opportunity to learn more about this early part of his scientific work.

Coming Soon

Sounds Amazing

Sounds Amazing is a hands-on exploration of sound and music.
This exhibition comes from the same people that created the widely acclaimed Body in Action that delighted nearly 30,000 people. A feature of this exhibition will be the programme of live music we are putting together each weekend of the exhibition. By popular demand families will be able to buy a season ticket and come back as often as they like. The exhibition opens during the Arts Festival and closes on Waitangi weekend. We have some special treats in mind so 'stay tuned' to our email newsletters and to our media partners for this exhibition - Classic Hits FM.

Returning Butterflies

Returning in the spring, there are at least 15 species of native butterflies to be found in our gardens, parks, and wild places. Like much of our wildlife their numbers have, by all accounts, dwindled - so much so that many people are unaware of the diversity or even existence of native species.

Returning butterflies to their former numbers is one focus of the exhibition, through the simple, practical steps that gardeners and landowners can take. The exhibition also explores: our butterfly biodiversity; how to recognise them; where they are to be found in the Nelson region; features of their biology; and recent threats to their survival.

Return visits are made by a handful of migrant species that cross the Tasman most years and regularly appear in the Nelson region - an added bonus for butterfly watchers! We show you what to look out for.

On view will be live specimens of some native species in various life stages.

School Education Programme

New Zealand Fossils - Dead precious!
Closes September 2009

Why do they call this exhibition Dead Precious? Students from all over Nelson have discovered the reasons. We did have dinosaurs and huge sea reptiles. We had gigantic sharks and tiny trilobites.

At this stage there are still limited spaces available for the classroom programme, bookings are essential.

If teachers would like to come to the exhibition without an educator being present, then it is still necessary to check with the Museum's Education Service for availability of space.

Butterflies - Return
25 September 2009 – 6 December 2009

This exhibition is a collaborative project with a Royal Society Fellowship recipient, Roger Frost. Roger, a teacher at Murchison Area School, has been researching local native butterflies and how to sustain populations in the community. An outcome of Roger's research is this exhibition which will be on display in the classroom from 25 September. The exhibition will include live butterflies.

This will be fantastic !

Sounds Amazing
23 October 2009 - 7 February 2010

This exhibition has a highly interactive hands-on approach which of course provides a wonderful platform for learning through fun and enjoyment. There will be strong emphasis on musical instruments and sound. Keep your eyes on the Nelson Mail and community billboards and your ears on Classic Hits for information regarding weekend concerts which will be held throughout this exhibition. Sounds Amazing starts during The Nelson Arts Festival and will conclude after the Jazz Festival at the end of the summer holidays. Learning outcomes exist in science, music and technology.

This comes to us as a highly recommended exhibition from Te Manawa, Palmerston North, the same team that created the hugely popular Body in Action.

Education Resources Online

The Nelson Provincial Museum's Education Services team have a number of online resources available to the region's schools and educators. more

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