Impressions of Te Papa

For those visiting Wellington, Te Papa the national museum is most definitely worth a morning or afternoon of your time or go crazy and spend the whole day.

It really is a superlative museum and conveys the story of the 'Aotearoa' - its historical influences and the natural forces that shape the country - through a series of interactive experiences over five floors. It also looks pretty funky and is nicely situated on the waterfront, so there's pleny of scope to add n some cafe culture too!

And as an added bonus, until the 17 May Te Papa is hosting the largest collection of Impressionist paintings ever to come to New Zealand allowing visitors to enjoy over 55 paintings, which are part of a greater world heritage. Works on dipslay include Claude Monet’s Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series, alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Degas, and others.

WOW in Wellington

Downtown Wellington hosts the annual World of Wearable Art Awards Show this month featuring spectacular and truly bizarre creations from artists around the world - and all are wearable...at least that's the theory. 'WOW' as the event is colloquially and I suspect aptly referred to, runs from 20-30 September across 9 performances all held at the TSB Bank Arena, Queens Wharf.

"Step into a world where art and the human form combine, where dance, music and lighting tell a story of the body as a canvas; where the lines of fashion and art blur and merge as one…

A Montana WOW® Awards Show can be difficult to describe, hard to define and utterly impossible to forget. A montage of theatre, dance, colour, movement and art, simply put, the Montana WOW® Awards Shows are theatrical spectaculars".

First shown in 1987 and with an audience of around 30,000 each year, this event has grown into a very successful NZ brand from its humble origins as a promotion for a rural art gallery in Nelson, where a WOW museum showcases creations past and present. For full info about the event and its background, visit the dedicated website. I personally have my eye on the discreet little number to my left.

I've got the Paua

The Paua shell is a tourist must-have. I bet you've got a piece somewhere in the form of a piece of jewellery, a paperweight for the study or an ashtray for the front room.  This sparkly abalone souvenir can be found around the New Zealand waters and shines all the colours you could possibly want it to. Just like a hologram card the paua shell gleams different hues when viewed from different angles. Beware, this can be very mesmerizing. The Maori sometimes use Paua shell pieces to decorate the eyes of their warrior carvings. I think this gives them life - and a haunting psychedelic presence..just me? I have a little model one which sits on my dresser and watches me while i sleep.

There was a time in New Zealand when Paua jewellery was considered cheap and 'tacky' but times they are a changing and there is now a booming Paua shell business. I myself have an over sized paua ring, which i like to flash on the tube, like my 'I'm-a-Kiwi' calling card. A little piece of home.