Space exhibition to tour North Island

Children get hands-on with the travelling space exhibition by Tūhura Otago Museum.

E te whānau o Tūrangi, get ready to blast off on a space adventure.

A hands-on space science showcase will land at Tongariro School this week, from May 18-20, bringing visitors of all ages an out-of-this-world experience.

The showcase will be visited by ākonga from Tūrangi and Kuratau during the school day, and open to the wider Tūrangi community each afternoon from 3-5pm. It will also be open for a Community Day from 10am-1pm on Saturday, May 20.

The Community Day will include a talk by local pūkōrero Ngāiterangi Smallman and the showcase and talk are free to attend.

Hands-on space experiences allow people to launch rockets, build satellites, and create (and ignite) their own rocket fuel. It is also an opportunity to explore the stars inside an inflatable planetarium dome. There is a 4-billion-year-old meteorite, space junk that crash-landed on a New Zealand farm, a black hole simulation, and lots of other exciting things to discover and explore.

Tūhura Otago Museum’s Te Wharau Walker (Ngāti Tūrangitukua, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Te Takinga) is one of the science engagement coordinators travelling with the showcase to his hometown of Tūrangi.

Te Wharau hopes visitors will be inspired by the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand’s long history of engaging with space.

“Our pūrākau from Ngāti Tūrangitukua tell us that our tīpuna had a unique relationship to the night sky. Having one of our local pūkōrero come and share some of this kōrero will be an awesome opportunity for whānau to learn more about our own history and special relationship with the night sky here in this rohe.

“I am also thrilled to share the excitement of space and science with my Te Mataapuna whānau and wider Tūrangi community.”

Developed by Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin, the Tūhura Tuarangi (meaning ‘to discover space’) – Aotearoa in Space science exhibition aims to inspire tamariki about space and science.

The showcase was launched in October 2022 with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and essential contributions from Kiwi space companies and research organisations nationwide.

Since its launch, Tūhura Tuarangi has been visited by more than 30,000 people across the South Island, including more than 100 sessions with primary and secondary school students.

After its time in Tūrangi, the showcase will continue to Hamilton Central Library (May 21-June 8), Rotorua Library (June 10-18), Tauranga City Library (June 19-28), Auckland’s Motat (July 1-30), and other North Island destinations until the end of 2023.