Blog

Kauri forests, once extensive in the Auckland, Northland and Waikato regions, were decimated by the logging industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Auckland was built on kauri both literally and figuratively – kauri logging provided the materials for physically building the growing city’s infrastructure, and from 1850-1900, kauri gum was Auckland’s main export. It is now estimated that no more than 4% of original kauri forests remain. What little kauri forest we have left is now at r

Each garment of the Matariki capsule collection by Lucky Dip, created by Tuhirangi Blair, is named for one of the stars in the Matariki cluster, plus the father, Rehua. Come along and discover the inspiration and meaning behind these one-off garments.

Auckland Museum houses nearly 2000 artefacts from Egypt. Their ages ranging from 10,000 years old, to the time of the pharaohs, and more recently. But how did these items find their way to a Museum on the other side of the world? In this blog, Dr Josh Emmitt, Curator Archaeology, lifts the lid on the not often told history of museum acquisitions.

In this blog for ‘Epetoma ō te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani (Cook Islands Language Week) we take a closer look at the Cook Islands dragonfly and damselfly specimens in our collection, and see what they can teach researchers about the ecology and evolution of these special creatures.

This Kiribati Language Week, we’re focusing on the origins of early printing presses and highlighting the contribution from the local people of Kiribati, or Gilbert Island as it was then known, in creating the physical books.

Ancient Egypt covers over 3,000 years of history. Over time there were many changes and developments in technology, some of which we still use today, albeit in a slightly different form. Here we look at some of the things that have come through time to us, including paper, ink, toothpaste, and hair products.

The Museum holds over 250,000 insect specimens, with some specimens over 100 years old. In this blog for Samoan Language Week, Melissa Kirk our R T Shannon Assistant Curator of Entomology, takes a closer look at pepe and pepe lelefua, the butterflies and moths of the Samoan archipelago.

Art and cultural heritage are often among the early casualties of war, suffering destruction and theft amidst the chaos of conflict. To combat this, in WWII the Allied forces mobilised the Monuments Men and Women to protect the art and cultural monuments of war-struck nations. Read on to learn the fascinating story of our very own Monuments Man, and former Auckland Museum director Sir Gilbert Archey.

From urban streams, to the Waitakere bush, our Natural Sciences team have been getting hands on beyond the Museum's walls to help protect one of Auckland’s most previous taonga: the environment. Find out what the team have been up to, and how you can take part in an eco-initiative in your area.

Along her journey to reach the quiet corner of our Ancient Worlds gallery, the mummified woman resting in this well-known sarcophagus lost something very dear: her name. In this blog by Deirdre Harrison, Collection Manager Archaeology, her name is returned. Read on to learn about the investigation that led to this remarkable discovery.

What can a egg tell us, when its inhabitant has been gone for over 500 years? Recent scientific breakthroughs have uncovered fascinating findings from even the smallest fragments of egg shells. In this blog by Matt Rayner Senior Research Fellow, Land Vertebrates, discover the secrets of the Moa as they are revealed from the Museum's collection.

Among the millions of precious taonga in the Museum’s care can be found objects great and small. This waka is one of the largest, and it recently had to be moved between secure storage locations. This blog by Collection Storage Technician Craig Collier describes its journey.