Heritage et AL

Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library is pleased to announce that our popular Heritage Talks programme will now be available as part of Auckland Libraries’ content on SoundCloud and YouTube . Heritage Talks are a regular event run by Research Central  and focus on topics of interest in the areas of local, family and world history. Talks are presented by a range of researchers and historians whose enthusiasm for their subjects is contagious. And now you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your home to share in the stories. Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and relax! Each SoundCloud podcast will give a brief introduction to the speaker and topic including a talk teaser before proceeding to the talk itself. If the talk contains a significant amount of visual material then we will endeavour to make these available through YouTube. Available now is Keith Giles’ Crazy Cameramen and Profligate Photographers . As the title implies, this popular talk captures some of the colour o...

Ref: Auckland City Council, the Beatles at the civic reception in front of the Auckland Town Hall, 1964, Auckland Libraries, 580-10702 On Monday 23 June, Mike Chunn from the NZ band Split Enz  spoke at the Central City Library about the influence that the Beatles had on him. Like many other Aucklanders, the 1964 concert at the Auckland Town Hall was highly memorable and a very exciting chance for NZers to see the Fab Four in the flesh. For Mike, the influence was even greater and inspired him to pursue a career in the music business. Ref: Auckland City Council, the Beatles at the civic reception in front of the Auckland Town Hall, 1964, Auckland Libraries, 580-10701 The Beatles played two nights in Auckland on the 24 and 25 June as part of their tour around NZ, also playing gigs at Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Described as "the moment that young New Zealand plugged into an international youth culture", just like the rest of the world, Beatlemania hit ...

Although Easter still has religious significance for many people, for others it is an opportunity to have a holiday and enjoy the last few rays of  the Kiwi autumn before the long winter months set in. Events such as race meetings, day trips, tramps, horticultural shows and sports tournaments are often held over the Easter period. And of course there is the obligatory hot cross buns and Easter egg eating! You can use the  Ephemera Index to search for heritage related resources at Auckland Libraries such as information about Easter shows and Easter cards. The Manuscripts Online database has letters and other unpublished material relating to Easter. This includes a letter from Bishop Selwyn to Sir George Grey in 1883, in which he discusses grass seeds and advises Grey that he will be in Auckland over Easter (GLNZ S17.2). Simply enter Easter into the keyword search box of both databases and have a browse. In the meantime, here is a selection for you to flick through in...

Yes, it's that time of year again when we celebrate Auckland's distinctive heritage! This year the festival runs from 28 September to 13 October and has around 240 events and activities organised by over 180 groups and organisations , many of which are free and will keep all ages amused. Contributors include Auckland Libraries, museums, historical societies, art galleries, historic homesteads and lighthouses, and events include trails, tours, workshops and talks. Ref: 2013 Auckland Heritage Festival logo The key themes around which events have been created are:: Auckland’s waterways, including the land and sea Celebrating our heritage,  including Auckland’s distinctive built, cultural and natural heritage Learning and encouragement, such as workshops and lectures.  Ref: 4-434, comparison of the Auckland waterfront in 1852 with 1900, c.1900, Sir George Grey Special Collections The public open weekend on the 28 to 29 September marks the start of the festival. Thi...

In ancient Māori traditions, kite flying could symbolize the connections between earth and the heavens; kites were flown to celebrate the rising of Matariki and the beginning of the Māori New Year. Because of my interest in building a kite from traditional materials to fly this Matariki, I have been researching Māori kites and kite-making. Several designs of kites are described in the literature. For example, the ethnographer Eldson Best in his Games and Pastimes of the Māori (1925) describes six kites, their design and usage.  Titiri, a Bay of Islands chief who travelled to England, in 1818 drew several pictures of kites. Ref: 7-A3168, 1818, Sir George Grey Special Collections In this drawing, the bird-shaped kite is probably a sacred manu aute, with aute bark covering the frame.The diamond-shaped kite is a manu pātiki, built to represent a flounder. The top and bottom kites in this picture are probably ūpoku tangata, children’s kites, made from ūpoku tangata...