With mediocre weather and a flight to Queenstown that evening, we decided that our third and final day in Auckland would be our museum day. After a late breakfast we headed back over to Albert Park and the Auckland Art Gallery. The featured exhibit was “Light from Tate: 1700s to now”, a study of how artists used light from the 1700s until today. This exhibition was the highlight of the museum for both of us. We particularly enjoyed the romantics; some incredible depictions of Vesuvius and light over water.
We then grabbed some lunch (Bao buns and noodles) near the park, picked up our car, and drove over to our second museum of the day: the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Contrary to what the name may suggest, this is not just a war museum (though it does have a floor dedicated to war!). It is more of a general history museum covering everything from Māori culture, to the volcanic origins of the islands, to the ancient flora and fauna that once roamed these lands.
We breezed through most of the museum, the natural history and origins of humans in New Zealand being the most interesting. I did not know that humans arrived in New Zealand relatively recently - only 700 years ago! While Polynesian people had been spreading through the islands off the coast of Southeast Asia as early as 2000 years ago, it took them a while to navigate as far south as New Zealand.
The highlight of the museum was the Māori cultural show. A troupe of 7 young native Kiwis put on a 30 minute production showcasing some traditional Māori song and dance. Everything had a purpose - passing down tradition and history via chants, agility training for young men, or preparation for battle (the Haka dance that everyone will recognize from the All Blacks. They put on a good show, both educational and entertaining.
The “war” part of the war museum was a bit underwhelming compared to some other war museums we’ve visited, though that is probably an unfair comparison - it’s tough to live up the the Imperial War Museum and the WWI museum in Kansas City! The full-size Zero and Spitfire were very cool.
After getting our museum fill we headed back to the airport for our journey south to Queenstown. The mountains are calling!
The approach to Queenstown airport was one of the most remarkable I’ve experienced - a slow banking right turn through a steep valley into a relatively short runway. We used all of it! After picking up our rental car (a truck!) and checking in at our hotel in Queenstown we walked through the lively waterfront to grab a pint and snack at Smith’s Craft Beer House.
