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John and Hannah King were one of three artisan missionary couples who came to New Zealand with Rev Samuel Marsden to set up a mission in 1814. The Kings' belongings included a chest of drawers, now part of the Museum collection.

In 1918, during World War I, the worldwide influenza pandemic reached New Zealand. In just two months, the disease killed thousands of New Zealanders, despite the remarkable efforts of countless women volunteers.

An ice axe, a diary, a journalist's writing, and a small piece of Mount Everest in a locket, all help us to understand the remarkable feat that led to an enduring relationship between Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa people of Nepal.

The late Zillah and Ronald Castle collected around 500 musical instruments, many of international significance. Their world-renowned collection is now held by Auckland Museum.

From Palaeolithic axes to Christian silver crosses, the extensive range of Ancient Egyptian items in the Auckland Museum collection provides fascinating insights into the greatest of all ancient civilisations.

In September 1914, a crater wall collapse caused a lahar on the active marine volcano White Island, killing 10 sulphur miners.

Sir John Logan Campbell travelled to Egypt in 1849 on a two-and-a-half year Grand Tour. His extensive travel journal captures his impressions from a voyage on the Nile.

View posters for South Auckland housing estate auctions during the early 1900s. These are from a collection donated by Miss Ivy Smytheman, a real estate agent's daughter.

Auckland Museum holds a fascinating collection of old, rare books on conchology. These books are as interesting for recording scientific developments and discoveries as they are for their illustrated plates.

View photographs of South and Western Pacific life taken by J. W. Beattie in 1906. The original glass plate images are digitised for easy viewing.

At the start of WWI, recruitment posters were used to encourage people of the British Empire to volunteer for war service. As the war progressed, these posters evolved into more emotive communications.

Most families will have a cased photograph or two in a closet shoebox. These are instantly recognisable as 19th century photography, but how many were actually made in New Zealand?