Event Highlight:
Tūhura's Birthday Party
Planetarium Highlight:
David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive
Rakahau te Kohika
Rākau o te riri
Complete taiaha. Wooden surface is smooth and polished. Human faces carved at the proximal end on both sides. Protruding tongue carved with rauru (spiral and notch) pattern. Eyes are slanted and convex hallows, with a paua shell inlay intact in one. Handle and blade are relatively narrow, slightly flared and rounded at the base.
Complete tewhatewha. Surface is worked smooth with cutting marks evident on the blade. Perforation at the base of the blade, with a piece of twisted fibre through it, knotted at both ends. Face carving about halfway down the handle on both sides. Remnants of wax in eye sockets. Tapered at the base.
Complete tewhatewha. Chicken feathers are attached to the rapa (head). No other whakairo present. The opposite end tapers to a mata (point).
Complete taiaha. Proximal end carved with human face on each side. Paua shell inlay remaining in one eye. Protruding tongue has a rauru (double spiral with notches) pattern. Relatively narrow blade.
Taoka Māori
Piece of worked wood, use unknown. Surface is charred, dessicated, and very sandy. Tapered at one end, with flattened sides.
Complete taiaha. Surface is worked smooth and polished. Human face carved on each side at the proximal end. Protruding tongue has a rauru (spiral and notch) pattern. Two eyes have paua shell inlays intact. Blade is narrow and rounded, with a large chip missing from the edge.
Complete taiaha. Roughly carved human faces on each side of the proximal end. Metal drawing pins in three of the four eyes (perforation visible where one is missing). Unfinished spiral incised markings on one side of protruding tongue. Dark dyed twisted piece of fibre tied around the centre of the blade.
Complete taiaha. Proximal end carved with human face in high relief on each side. Protruding tongue has a rauru (double spiral with notches) pattern. Blade is undecorated, flaring out to the distal edge, with a chip broken off one side.
Complete taiaha. The arero (tongue) is decorated with rauponga style carving (rows alternating with notches) on both sides. The upoko (head) has two sets of inset eyes. One eye retains paua shell, the other three have red sealing wax remaining. The rau (nose) is rounded and bears marks of use.
Broken point, distal end sharpened.
Complete kotiate made of wood. Two notches on blade. Geometric carvings along blade and handle. Face carving at butt with a perforation below the head.
Complete patu rakau. Carved using metal tools. Surface is smoothed and polished. Perforation at handle. Ornamental grooves on both side of the butt.
Complete patu rakau. Dark brown wood. Carved using metal tools in a non-traditional style. Geometric carvings on the blade with two triangular paua shell inlays on each side. Circular knob and small perforation at the butt.
Piece of worked wood. Roughly rectangular in shape and cross-section. One side is worked smooth and flat.
Piece of wood, possibly worked, with scorch marks. Surface is dessicated. Shape and cross-section are roughly rectangular.
Piece of wood, possibly worked, with scorch marks. Surface is worn and dessicated.
Piece of wood, possibly worked, scorched on one side. Surface of scorched side is dessicated. The other side is cracked, with a relatively flat plane. Reduced at one end.
Piece of worked wood, use unknown. Burnt with a smooth surface. Round cross-section.
Complete kahawai lure. Wooden shank with paua shell inlay. Straight bone point with internal barb. Lashings at head and base.
Broken kahawai lure, iron shank and lashings remaining. Remnants of paua shell inlay and lashings attached to iron shank at head and base. Braided cord attached at head.