50 pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robclubley/sets/72157623735012389/

A few samples:

The brand new $15m exhibition building and cafe

The exhibition with animatronic moa and loads of interesting info.

The electric boat

NZ robin

Cave weta - fascinating things IMHO. That big one is about 10cm long

Web site here

When I was a kid that was the Karori Reservoir and the main supply of potable water for Wellington even though it is built directly in the fault line (Which civil engineer decided on that?). Needless to say there were many hours spend sneaking over the hills from Brooklyn, avoiding the staff at Fitchetts sawmill (where the windmill is now), climbing the fence and exploring this oasis of nearly pristine NZ bushland.

I was so glad to see that it was preserved intact for all time. I visited it about 5 years ago and walked around the tracks there.

This looks like a magnificent addition and will be on my to do list next time I'm visiting the relatives.

Thanks for posting.

Cave weta - fascinating things IMHO. That big one is about 10cm long

Rob- great photos and looks a very interesting and thought provoking museum :yes:

What are those Cave Wetas :S - they look like a shrimp crossed with a wasp??

Rob- great photos and looks a very interesting and thought provoking museum :yes:

What are those Cave Wetas :S - they look like a shrimp crossed with a wasp??

They're insects - kinda like wingless grasshoppers. Unique to New Zealand. We get these in our garden:

Harmless and they eat dead vegetation. But ugly!

The sanctuary has released hundreds of Cook Strait giant weta - the world's heaviest insect:

Smart looking extension but I think I preffered the old name. Realy nice area very close to the centre of the city.

But what will they call it when NZ is part of Aussie?

Smart looking extension but I think I preffered the old name. Realy nice area very close to the centre of the city.

But what will they call it when NZ is part of Aussie?

Yeah I thought the new name was a bit cheesy. But I guess it's more tourist friendly!

Zealandia was apparently the name of the chunk that drifted off Gondwana to eventually form New Zealand -

Zealandia (pronounced /ziËˈlændiÉ™/), also known as Tasmantis or the New Zealand continent, is a nearly submerged continent or microcontinent that sank after breaking away from Antarctica between 85 and 130 million years ago, and then from Australia 60-85 million years ago.^[2] It may have been completely submerged about 23 million years ago,^[3][4] and most of it (93%) remains submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealandia_%28continent%29

Who encouraged him to get the bloody Wetas out!!!!! Argggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Nice pics otherwise

Baby Kiwis please

Baby Kiwis please

This is the closest to a baby kiwi I can find for you. :-)

This is the closest to a baby kiwi I can find for you. :-)

Lovely picture and I love the depth of field