Cultured out, again

We walked down to the Te Papa museum to see the Terracotta Warriors. I mean that literally, the down part is almost further than the across part. The up part on the way back was tough sledding. There's a network of walking and biking trails all up the side of Mt Victoria. I doubt we took the quickest way, since there are probably all sorts of short cuts. I also doubt we took the steepest way, though Linda was walking very carefully.

The exhibit is wow! Not just the warriors, but the other pieces as well. There was one gold belt buckle that had to weigh half a kilo. The artistry and workmanship are stunning. Let me just say that my photos are not doing the work justice. They didn't allow tripods and I didn't have one anyway. No flash. The museum space is even dimmer than most, and most of the exhibits are behind glass. Needs must, and all. If you get a chance, see the exhibit.

From there we wandered through the Maori exhibit. Our thought was to take a quick look, since we'd been through the exhibit in Auckland, then walk around downtown. Oops. Not. WOW! They had no photography signs up everywhere, and I respected that. It was hard, since the artistry is amazing. So no Maori photos.

The rest of the museum looked to be just as nice and interesting. It was really busy, but it was Waitangi Day.

Some stone kitties. We miss our kitties.

A gold sword hilt. People were crowded around trying to get a photo.

A jade door knocker. This piece is huge.

The warriors begin. There was a group of them in a large glass enclosure. They are all individuals, not made from a production line mould. There was some basic assembly, then they were made individual. The detail is stunning. Remember, more than 2000 years old.

Jade.

Gold.

Bronze. I might come back to this one to crop in a bit more, and get a better look at the texture and colours on the blade.

Why they thought it was appropriate to play purple light over the display is beyond me.

A bronze goose. It wasn't just warriors, it was everything the emperor would need in the afterlife.

I had to take this shot for Susi. Had to.