Today, Nick and I went to Te Papa National Museum! It was absolutely stunning. It was one of the most interactive museums I have ever been to. The museum, which is largely dedicated to Maori culture, has temples you can explore, educational games you can play (I bankrupt the ship company and Nick came out with 10 extra babies!), and beautiful stones and rocks you can touch. My favorite part of the museum was the Greenstone rock. Before knowing what I was touching, I could feel peaceful energy flowing from it. I loved it so much, we went back after the next exhibit. Thats when I read the plaque and Nick, my handy Kiwi tour guide, told me that it was a sacred rock handed down from generation to generation. Whenever there is a ceremony or conference held between tribes (See me standing below the arch with all the different colored carvings? Each colored panel is carved and designed by a different tribe. The Maoris use Te Papa museum as a meeting place as well) the tribes would touch the rock before entering. Now, one of my goals is to find an inexpensive piece of greenstone jewelry while Im here. Its so beautiful! And it is healing as well. Then we came to a giant and geographically-correct map of NZ on the ground. I didnt realize how big NZ was. And last but definitely not least, I got to see the largest invertebrate ever caught in history. It is the only one of its kind on display. Seeing a colossal squid has always been a dream of mine ever since I found out how elusive they are. Te Papa was beautiful and informative. I have a feeling I will be back!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 11:27:24 +0000