Rotorua Museum art collection is making the trek to Tauranga to be exhibited

Rotorua Museum operations manager Cat Jehly with some of the museum's art collection treasures that are boxed up and ready to go. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Rotorua Museum art collection is going on the road, making the trek over the hill to Tauranga, where treasures will be brought out of storage.

Featuring more than 80 works by more than 30 artists, Beyond Geyserland guarantees something for everyone.

Through these artworks, the exhibition charts nearly 150 years of New Zealand art history.

This exhibition is an opportunity to see works by artists including Charles Goldie, Theo Schoon, Colin McCahon, Tony Fomison, Robyn Kahukiwa, Ralph Hotere and Ans Westra.

Rotorua Museum operations manager Cat Jehly says this is first time these items have been on display since the Museum closed for earthquake strengthening in November 2016.

"It's a great opportunity for Rotorua residents to see highlights from the collection again and for the wider region to enjoy the impressive works on display.

"Beyond Geyserland really showcases the wide range of artworks in the Rotorua Museum collection."

Tauranga Art Gallery director Karl Chitham was previously curator at Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa.

He says that with Rotorua Museum currently closed to the public this was a fantastic opportunity for Tauranga Art Gallery and Rotorua Museum to work together and bring out some of the treasures currently in storage.

"Beyond Geyserland references the long history Rotorua has with tourism, and the exhibition suggests how the region and the collection have changed over time.

"It's not just about mud pools and geysers, there is much more to the stories from this unique place."

Karl says that with a variety of art mediums on show there is something for everyone to enjoy.

"And the big names on show are a must-see: Charles Goldie, Gordon Walters, Colin McCahon, Tony Fomison and more.

"It's not every day you get three Goldie's in one room in regional New Zealand."

Beginning with a pair of watercolour portraits by Horatio Robley made in Tauranga in 1865, the exhibition moves through a range of topics and materials ending with Neil Pardington's large scale photographs of Rotorua Museum's taonga Māori store from 2008.

Housed in the Bath House, the Rotorua Art Gallery opened in the north wing in 1977 and a decade later combined with Rotorua Museum.

Over the following years, the Museum developed a rich collection of New Zealand art with a particular focus on the unique features of the people, sites and events of Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty.

For more information on the exhibition, go to www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz.

The Details
-What: Beyond Geyserland exhibition
- When: Saturday September 15 to Sunday November 18, 10am to 4.30pm
- Where: Tauranga Art Gallery, 108 Willow St, Tauranga
- Cost: Free