Kia ora,
March has been an exceptionally full month for Te Papa and the Friends. It was good to see so many of you at the Friends’ Preview of Toi Art; we have enjoyed some fascinating local tours, and membership renewals have been flooding into the Office. Thank you for your wonderful response and enthusiastic support.
Thank you also for the lovely tributes to Friends Manager, Elizabeth Ridder. Her contribution to the Friends and Te Papa is widely recognised as outstanding and she will be greatly missed. However, we can reassure you that the vitality of the Friends programme will continue, with many not-to-be-missed events coming up.
In 2018 we are offering not one but two Friends away tours. In October we will return to the Bay of Islands with Dame Claudia Orange. This is a very special opportunity to visit a particularly beautiful part of our country and gain insights into our history and identity as a nation. You can read more and register your interest here.
In November we are offering a new tour to historic Canterbury. Both tours will run over a weekend from Thursday to Sunday afternoon and are already attracting keen interest. Make sure you register your interest early so you don’t miss out. Read more here.
We are also excited to announce that in September 2019 the Friends are partnering with Innovative Travel to offer you an amazing Friends of Te Papa tour to Egypt. Accompanied by former New Zealand Ambassador to Egypt, Rene Wilson, we will explore the ancient mysteries of Egypt, visiting iconic sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, ancient Thebes (Luxor) including special access, tours and guides exclusive to our tour. If you are interested in joining us, come to the launch of the Friends of Te Papa Egypt tour on Wednesday 18 April and find out more.
Lastly, if you would like to be more closely involved with Te Papa and its amazingly knowledgeable and talented staff, consider joining the Friends Committee, a terrific team of talented people with a shared passion for Te Papa. If you would like to know more, please get in touch with the Office.
See you soon at Te Papa,
Nga mihi nui
Elizabeth Kay