TAMUK

War Memorial Museum, Auckland

     On July 5, 2012, we embarked on our journey to Dunedin, New Zealand.  On July 7, 2012, following fourteen hours of flying over the Pacific, we experienced our first hitch in the plan: we were approximately ten minutes late for our flight from Auckland to Dunedin.  Oddly enough, though, the majority of us were excited about the impending layover.  Over the next 24 hours, this joy (most likely formed from the fact that we were now able to shower and eat) was certainly justified.  For one day, we experienced life in Auckland; we ate street food and saw some amazing sights.  Best of all, though, we were able to get our first look into New Zealand history and culture at the War Memorial Museum, a leading national museum.  We saw artifacts from both Maori and European societies. The preservation of and pride in New Zealand’s Maori heritage is exquisitely celebrated by the Museum.  The Museum displayed not only the Maori history, such as ancient temples and carved Gods and Goddesses, but also recent attempts to instill pride in the Maori culture.  For example, they featured a T-shirt exhibition, in which Maori artists have created shirts that display Maori traditions and history.  Cassandra, Caleb, and I (Kelsey) were even able to catch the second act of a Maori musician’s music session.  Her music, sung in both Maori and English, could easily be factored into my research, so I will hopefully be interviewing her within the next couple of weeks!  Needless to say, our experiences in Auckland just go to show that any situation can be made into a cultural learning session.  Kia ora!!

Kelsey D.