Vaka Moana Exhibition at the Museum

Spent 2 or 3 hours at the museum at this Pacific waka exhibition which is on in one of the new galleries in the new atrium also very stunning. Saw a similar exhibition in Tahiti 3 years ago or so and it was interesting to view this one which dealt with the Polynesian migrations originally from South East Asia, through the Pacific. Not too many boats but one big double canoe, one outrigger of the traditional kind and a contemporary fibreglass and stainless steel(?) one too, and a single canoe from the Solomon Islands inlaid with mother of pearl decoration. There was a very beautiful book covering all aspects of waka, the migrations and navigation which I am going to borrow from the library.

Had lunch in the atrium at the Museum cafe and listened to a Pacific Island choir performing outside the exhibition. Made another foray into the exhibition and watched several of the videos on recent vaka and their voyages and looked at the other exhibits of tapa cloth, info on plants eg mulberry came from South East Asia too , and the taro came from Indonesia and kumara from South America to Polynesia to Aotearoa.

Finished off our afternoon by lounging on the lawn listening to jazz being played in the Rotunda. One of our rare weekends at home as I am nursing a bad cold which necessitated a couple of days home in bed.