The Auckland War Memorial Museum has a long tradition of exploratory expeditions – in particular field excursions to the Three Kings Islands. The scientific journal Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum (now named Records of the Auckland Museum) was founded in 1930 to ensure the prompt publication of search results. Copies of the journal and the more detailed Bulletins are available in the Museum Library.
The library also holds an enviable collection of early voyages of discovery and scientific expeditions. These range from the journals of Cook, Tasman and Bougainville to the reports of the Austrian frigate Novara (1857-1859), and the HMS Challenger (1873-1876). Amongst our collection of scientific reports are the Belgica’s Antarctic expedition of 1897-1899, the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition 1902-1904, and the Australian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14.
One of our exploration titles is Dumont dUrville’s Voyage de lAstrolabe. Dumont d’Urville spent over two months in New Zealand waters in 1827 and brought artists, naturalists and scientists. Six of the images from this voyage are shown below. |
