Event Highlight:
Tūhura's Birthday Party
Planetarium Highlight:
David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive
Rākau o te riri
Broken patu onewa, part of mid-blade remaining. Broken at either end. Cross-section is lenticular.
Complete mere pounamu. Inaka section crosses diagonally from one side to the other on blade with kahurangi pounamu extending to proximal end. Dark green, mid-yellow, and black in colour. Surface is polished. Six grooves at butt with perforated hole drilled from both sides. Both edges of hole slightly inset. String looped through hole and tied.
Complete patu paraoa. Perforations and some ornamental grooves on butt. Small pieces of blade have broken off.
Complete taiaha. Wooden surface is smooth and polished. Double-sided human face carved at the proximal end. Face has a protruding tongue, geometric shapes on lips and forehead, slanted eyes. Distal end of the blade is rounded.
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.
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.