Reviews

Whanganui Tour: Visit to Collegiate Chapel

Wanganui Collegiate Chapel opened in 1912 with a single nave and plain internal brick walls. A pupil from that time would hardly recognise it today.

Read more |March 7, 2019

Whanganui Tour: Visiting the Sarjeant on the Quay

Visiting the Sarjeant on the Quay we were met by a sparkling chandelier by many artists. While the Sarjeant Gallery is awaiting the redevelopment next year which will restore it to its important place in the city, its work continues in the building on the Quay.

Read more |March 7, 2019

Whanganui Tour: Royal Wanganui Opera House

This beautiful historical building first opened in 1900, and since celebrating its centenary has been restored and earthquake strengthened and now has a Category 1 listing from Heritage NZ.

Read more |March 7, 2019

Review: Mirrors and Torrents

‘Mirrors and Torrents’ was an apt name for Steven Desmond’s one hour tour of water features in historic gardens.  Through a beautifully photographed presentation ebbing and flowing over 2000 years we glimpsed the incredible travails designers and ornamental garden enthusiasts endured to harness the mercurial nature of water’s energy, strength and beauty.

Read more |March 5, 2019

Review: Paint & Wine Valentine’s Night

It was a night full of fun, intense concentration, and ending with the delight of being able to take their artistic work home for others to admire.

Read more |March 4, 2019

So This is What Chinese New Year is All About…

Last week, at a fully-booked event, Friends were privileged to be given insight to the traditions surrounding Chinese New Year. It was impossible not to get caught up in the warmth and enthusiasm of the 9 presenters (who were both locally based and from Xi’an), as they explained various aspects of the Chinese New Year.

Read more |February 15, 2019

Bitten by Witch Fever – Presented by Lucinda Hawksley

Last Saturday afternoon the Icon venue was packed with people like me intrigued by the title of Lucinda Hawksley’s talk on the prevalence and effects of arsenic in Victorian times. The words are part of a quote from the renowned textile designer and social activist William Morris, who initially used the vibrant colours from arsenic pigment in his iconic wallpapers.

Read more |January 29, 2019

Entrancing Friends Preview of Terracotta Warriors

I was entranced from the moment I entered the first shadowy room. A huge pair of Chinese metal doors with geometrical grating guarded the entrance behind me. Ghostly heads with topknots were projected onto the side walls, almost filling the space.

Read more |January 8, 2019

Friends visit to College House, Christchurch

A warm balmy evening enabled Friends to gather in the courtyard of College House to admire this striking example of modernist architecture. Opened in 1966 College House, a residence for University of Canterbury students, is one of Sir Miles Warren’s most important contributions to his long list of Christchurch buildings.

Read more |December 20, 2018

Harnessing the power of plants

Which plants help relieve medical conditions? What compounds from natural sources make effective medicines? A gathering of Friends of Te Papa found out about the processes of medical conditions from Botanical Commentator Reg Harris and how plant-based drugs treat conditions ranging from high cholesterol to cancer.

Read more |December 19, 2018