The Shopping Sherpa

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Tawhiti: Life at war

Room with full-scale models of Maori in traditional dress on the left, and a long diorama on the right.

The next rooms I visited at Tawhiti Museum were about the military history of the area, particularly The Musket Wars, and the story of Kimble Bent in the Taranaki wars of the 1860s.Normally this would be something I'd gloss over, but because of the intricacy of the scenes I found myself stopping constantly to read the information attached and peer closely at the details of the scenes.

Diorama of Maori with muskets in a trench, defending a pa.

The focus was very much on the stories of the people involved, and by the end of my time in this part of the museum I was keen to find out more about the history of New Zealand, as I realised it wasn't taught much when I was at school: instead we tended to focus on European history...

Diorama of 19th-century Maori with muskets in the bush.

Diorama of a 19th-century man shoing a horse in the bush. Behind him is a camp of tents.

Diorama of 19th-century soldiers with muskets in the bush, aiming at a Maori by a pa fence.

Diorama of 19th-century soldiers with muskets in the bush, aiming at a pa fence.

Diorama of a 19th-century soldier standing in a stream in the bush, next to a horse drinking from it.

Diorama of a 19th-century man standing in the bush with his hands up,in front of a Maori on a horse.

Diorama of a 19th-century man on the back of a horse in the bush,being lead up a track by a Maori.

Diorama of 19th-century Maori with muskets on a track in the bush.

Diorama of 19th-century Maori with muskets on a track in the bush, watching a crowd of people around a flagpole in the distance.

Diorama of a group of 19th-century Maori around a flagpole in the bush

Diorama of two 19th-century Maori being guided along a track in the bush by a third.

Diorama of a 19th-century Maori family being guided along a track in the bush by a pakeha man.

Diorama of a 19th-century Maori family being sneaking along a track in the bush. Behind them in the bush is a mass of pakeha soldiers.

A full-sized diorama of a pakeha man and a Maori man in a Maori hut. The pakeha is working on agun.

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Tawhiti: Life at home

The second room at Tawhiti was large, well-lit, and contained so many scenes (both full-sized and miniature) that I found it almost overwhelming.

An example is this series of dioramas showing how butter was made 'in the old days':

Display of model scenes depicting the four stages of making butter.

from milking the cow,

Model of a 19th-century woman milking a cow, with a child standing next to her with a bucket.

through pouring the milk (not sure what this did, and was too distracted to read the information below the scene!),

Model of a 19th-century woman inside a house, pouring milk from a jug into several bowls.

churning

and, finally, eating.

Model of a 19th-century woman and child inside a house. The woman is cutting a loaf of bread, and the child is pointing at a pat of butter.

The full-sized scenes that caught my eye (and made my brain hurt as they were full-sized scenes that looked like miniature scenes made big: I figured it was all part of the owner's eye and ability to tell stories without words...):

Full-scale model of a 1930s woman cooking dinner, while holding a baby and having her apron tugged by a screaming child.

a woman making dinner.

Full-scale model of a 1920s man in a workshop, contemplating a vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle.

A man in his workshop.

Full-scale model of the interior of a 1930s shop, with a shopkeeper serving a school boy in uniform.

A scene at the local store,

Full-scale model of the interior of a 1930s shop, with a customer with a basket on her arm.

and the local gunsmith at work.

Full-scale model of the interior of an early 20th century gunsmith's shop, with a man working on a gun.

While this room focused mainly on the pakeha* inhabitants of the area, the next rooms made up for it:

Full-scale model of a 19th century maori village, with a man sitting outside next to a fire, wrapped in a blanket.

A full-sized model of a maori man wrapped in a blanket beside a fire outside two huts,

And miniature dioramas showing life in and around Turuturu Mokai pa, in a few scales.

Diorama showingTuruturu Mokai pa from above.

Diorama showing the vegetable gardens of Turuturu Mokai pa.

Diorama showinga man fetching water from a well at Turuturu Mokai pa.

Diorama showing a lookout at Turuturu Mokai pa.

Diorama showing residents climbing up to Turuturu Mokai pa using a system of wooden logs with notches cut in them.

Diorama showing residents at Turuturu Mokai pa.

One-twelfth-scale diorama of a maori waka (war canoe) at the edge of a river.

One-twelfth-scale diorama of a maori waka (war canoe) at the edge of a river with people around it holding paddles.

Detail of the carving on a one-twelfth-scale diorama of a maori waka (war canoe).

(*Non-maori)

Monday, November 07, 2016

Tawhiti: Tangarakau township

The entrance building at Tawhiti Museum.

The first room in Tawhiti Museum made me stop to rummage in my bag for my cameras, as I knew I, based on what I saw in this room alone, that I'd be taking a lot of photos*. The room had an interesting mix of well-done full-scale models, like this chap:

Full-scale model of a wood cutter at Tawhiti Museum

and this coal miner:

Full-scale model of a coal miner at Tawhiti Museum

and miniature models, like this scene, set in the 1930s, of the Egmont Collieries train in front of the the buildings of Tangarakau township.

Model of Tangarakau township circa 1930, with a coal train in front.

Model of Tangarakau township circa 1930, with a coal carts in front.

Also included were model bush scenes, including discarded train parts,

Model of parts of a coal train in the scrub of Tangarakau township

a sawmill,

and a scene of men loading the coal from the train into a waiting ship.

Model of loading coal onto a ship from a train, circa 1930

One of the things I loved most about these scenes was the realism of the New Zealand bush in them.

(*In fact, I stopped so often to take a photo that I ran out of time to visit a whole section of displays...)

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Off the track and found some treasure

While I was buying my Russell Brown brooches from the Sarjeant Gallery gift shop, I mentioned that they were destined for my dolls' house (a little white lie, but easier than explaining miniature scenes to people, I find).

The women behind the the counter both said 'So you'll be visiting Tawhiti, then?' in such a way that they assumed that I knew all about it (whatever 'it' was) and would would most definitely have 'it' on our itinerary.

When it because clear that I was quite clueless, they assured me that we most simply MUST VISIT (especially as it was on the way to our next destination.)

And so it was (after a little googling that evening, back at the Airbnb place) that we decided it was worth a stop. And I found myself mystified as to how I had no idea of its existence, even after some major pre-trip research.

We arrived just before 11 am the following day, certain that we'd be done and dusted in an hour or so, and off to find lunch and continue our planned itinerary.

How. Wrong. We. Were.

Tawhiti Museum is amazing. And particularly amazing for a miniaturist.

After we bought our tickets, but before we went inside we decided morning tea was in order while we planned our time and decided what to see first., And it just so happened that there was an inviting-looking cafe right by the entrance.