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A new touring exhibition exploring Aotearoa’s natural hazards is coming to Taupō Museum later this month.
Rūaumoko: Restless Land will be on display at Taupō Museum from Saturday, January 31, to Monday, March 23, presented in partnership with Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake.
The interactive exhibition focuses on earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural hazards, combining science with mātauranga Māori to examine the forces that continue to shape the country and the importance of preparedness.
Exhibition features include the Quake Nation interactive, tectonic plate models, volcanic rock samples and a shake table.
Te Papa exhibition experience developer Dan Parke says the exhibition introduces visitors to Rūaumoko, the atua of volcanoes and earthquakes.
“By introducing visitors to the atua, the exhibition illustrates the immense forces beneath our feet and presents a wero — a challenge — to understand our hazards and learn how to prepare at home and in our communities,” Dan says.
Natural Hazards Commission public education manager Hamish Armstrong says the exhibition supports important conversations about risk.
“We live on a whenua shaped by colliding and subducting plates that cause earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami and landslides,” Hamish says. “We need to be talking about the risks they pose and how we prepare for them.”
To complement the exhibition, Taupō Museum is offering a free, guided experience combining emergency preparedness information with a tour of the exhibition and the lakefront carvings.
The 60-minute sessions begin with a civil defence hazards and emergency preparedness talk, followed by a guided walk-through of the exhibition.
Taupō District Council emergency management advisor Pip Dixon says the sessions are designed to turn concern into practical action.
“We can’t predict when the ground will move, but we can decide how ready we’ll be,” Pip says.
Sessions run every Thursday from Thursday, February 5 to Thursday, March 19. School sessions take place from 10.30am to 11.30am, with public sessions from 1pm to 2pm. Entry is free, but bookings are essential.
Bookings can be made by emailing: [email protected] or phoning: 07 376 0414.
