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Nature Boy

See our country through a different lens

Olaf Petersen is one of New Zealand’s finest nature photographers, documenting our country’s landscape and its people. Here, we've curated an online Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen experience where you can virtually explore the exhibition and discover even more about Olaf Petersen's life and photography.

Nature Boy

The Photography of Olaf Petersen

Nature Boy

EXHIBITION RAN 7 APRIL 2022 - 6 FEBRUARY 2023
 

Olaf shows the beauty that is all around you. This exhibition will invite you to stop and recognise it.

Olaf Petersen. ca. 1970. Hold It. Auckland Museum. © Olaf Petersen Estate.

Virtually walk through the exhibition

Click the arrows to move through this 3D virtual walk-through.

 

 

 

Listen to firsthand accounts from the people in Olaf's life. 

Hear unique perspectives of some of the photographs on display. 

Listen to writer Sandra Coney on Petersen’s respect for the people and places of West Auckland.
SANDRA CONEY

Listen to writer Sandra Coney on Petersen’s respect for the people and places of West Auckland.

"As a record of the people who lived and farmed in those eastern foothills or lived in the rugged West Coast – it's such an important collection of images from that point of view. I can't think of anybody else that was out there doing that."
Scientist and author Bruce Hayward recalls Petersen’s enthusiasm for the Field Club's adventures.
BRUCE HAYWARD

Scientist and author Bruce Hayward recalls Petersen’s enthusiasm for the Field Club's adventures.

"We were certainly aware that Olaf's photos were regularly published in the Weekly News, and probably in the Herald, and we were very much aware of that when he came on trips with us. But we didn't mind. In fact, I think we thought it was quite a good way of getting publicity for the Field Club and its activities, and its efforts to document the biota on the islands, as a first step to getting greater protection for their biodiversity."
Listen to West Coast local Sarah McIntyre remember how Petersen captured the magic of Te Henga.
SARAH MCINTYRE

Listen to West Coast local Sarah McIntyre remember how Petersen captured the magic of Te Henga.

"For us, we lived in that environment and we interacted with it all the time. And what Olaf did, he captured that time for all of us, those events in our lives, which were special. And he kept a record of the things for us as a family and as an extended family."
Olaf’s nephew Dan Baker describes the photographer’s quiet confidence and remarkable patience.
DAN BAKER

Olaf’s nephew Dan Baker describes the photographer’s quiet confidence and remarkable patience.

"The thing that I remember that Olaf would go to great lengths to get his photos and he would go down the cliffs at Bethells on a rope to photograph nesting shags and uh, I understand he did this for a few years. He wouldn't let a bit of difficulty from stopping him from getting his photos."

UNESCO Memory of the World 

The vision of the Memory of the World programme is that the world’s documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved and protected for all and, with due recognition of cultural mores and practicalities, should be permanently accessible to all without hindrance.

Olaf Petersen's work is on the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Register. Below, exhibition curator Shaun Higgins (Curator Pictorial) talks about Olaf Petersen and the value of his work. 

Collections Online

Uncover the rest of the story

Collections Online

Go beyond the exhibition, and explore the Museum's digitised archives featuring over 2000 photographs from Olaf Petersen's collection.

Read more

Olaf Petersen. 1952. I'm Late. Auckland Museum. © Olaf Petersen Estate.

Further reading

Dive into articles about Olaf Petersen's work from around the web. 

VERVE MAGAZINE

Q&A with Shaun Higgins

Curator of Nature Boy: the Photography of Olaf Petersen

Sorting through a lifetime of photography is no easy task, Verve asks Curator Shaun Higgins for some insights around his curatorial process and what we can expect from the show.
THE SPINOFF

Remembering Olaf Petersen

One of New Zealand photography’s best kept secrets

For much of the 20th century, photographer Olaf Petersen tirelessly documented the landscapes and people of west Auckland. His work has been a secret enjoyed by only a few for far too long, writes Sandra Coney.
THE BIG IDEA

The (largely) unknown story

Nature Boy

One of New Zealand's under-appreciated photographers is getting his time in the spotlight at one of biggest institutions. Find out why it's long overdue.

Discover more

As a centenarian research institution with over 4 million collection items, Auckland Museum has a story or two to tell.

Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen shines a light on some of the Museum's most understated pictorial collections. Explore more perspectives from our collections here. 

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