Zoe Gadd, 5, plays Pac-Man outside the 50's diary. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Zoe Gadd, 5, plays Pac-Man outside the 50's diary. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Young and old are captivated at museum's new exhibition, finds Dionne Christian.
Next time you're standing atop the trig platform at Mt Eden (Maungawhau), spare a thought for Tom.
He was a 3-year-old elephant that arrived in Auckland via India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) with Prince Alfred, the son of Queen Victoria, for a Royal visit in 1870. During the month-longstay, Tom lived in the grounds of the Albert Barracks - where the University of Auckland now stands - and delighted visitors and well-wishers, who fed him peanuts and beer.
It wasn't all free hospitality; Tom hauled basalt to the top of Mt Eden to help build the trig platform which, at 196m above sea level, remains the highest natural point on Auckland's isthmus.
"Well, I never!" declared my mother, "I have lived in Auckland for 54 years and haven't heard that one ... "
Miss 5 simply thought it sounded very unwise to give an elephant beer.
These are the kinds of reactions you'll have when you encounter some of the intriguing stories featured in Auckland War Memorial Museum's new exhibition, Taku Tamaki - Auckland Stories.
Opened this week to celebrate the region's 175th anniversary, the exhibition presents a journey through the city's history that captures the imaginations of young and old alike.
Objects from the museum's collections are combined with contemporary digital technology, immersive films, specially commissioned artwork and photographs.
Exhibition curator Finn McCahon-Jones and designer Simon Gould were determined not to stick to the traditional way of using dates and well-known events to tell the story of a city. So, shunning the chronological method, they've taken 50 or so objects - many of which are not usually seen - and grouped them into "object spaces". Each space then has an over-arching theme such as rock, sugar, water, mud, salt, wind, speed, waste and voice. That way, a diverse range of stories can be highlighted and visitors can tap into the different responses we have to each word.
Zoe Gadd, 5, plays Pac-Man outside the 50s diary. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Thus, Tom the elephant's tale is found in the rock section alongside a lava bomb thrown out of Mangere Mountain (Miss 5 loved that) and the story of how Split Enz drummer Paul Crowther invented, in Balmoral, the world-famous Hotcake guitar distortion pedal (rock music, get it?).
The first stop is a replica 1980s dairy complete with billboards, window advertisements and even copies of the short-lived The Auckland Sun newspaper. There are also vintage space invaders' games, including Pacman. Miss 10 made straight for these and would have cheerfully stayed there had we not reminded her there might be other cool things to see.
From there, it's out into the 'burbs. Finn and Simon reckon there are 204 of them in Auckland but acknowledge that's up for debate. A game flashes up streetscapes and you have to guess where in the region you might be. Interactive games feature throughout the exhibition which give little fingers a chance to touch.
Simon Gould, Finn MaCahon-Jones and Zoe Gadd. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Other highlights include a nifty series of short films based on stories told direct from pupils at 14 Auckland schools, accompanied by artwork from artist Peter Madden. His 3D collage took our collective breaths away; it's packed with so much detail that you could study it for hours and still find new things.
Miss 5 declared Taku Tamaki - Auckland Stories the best exhibition she's seen and was already talking about bringing a friend to see it. I dare say we'll be back and will find ourselves enthralled again by the new discoveries we make about our hometown.
Simon Gould shows a piece of Kauri Gum to Zoe Gadd, 5. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Need to know
Taku Tamaki - Auckland Stories, Auckland War Memorial Museum's Special Exhibition Hall. Free with museum entry. The quarterly programme includes music and dance performances, storytelling sessions and arts and crafts activities, with performances during the school holidays.
