Gallipoli Exhibition

Being the political and cultural power base of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa is home to an event that changed the way New Zealand was and shaped the people of the country to who they are today. Te Papa loosely translates to Treasure Box, which is exactly how you will see this world-class museum.

In 1925, 8,556 young Kiwi men landed alongside 60,000 Aussie mates in Gallipoli. For most of them, the last place they saw was the Albany harbour, off the coast of Western Australia. Whilst 7,954 Aussies died in the campaign, which is more than 1 in 10, the Kiwi’s sacrifice was even more horrific. The leader of the New Zealand forces, Ian Hamilton stated 7,447 men were killed or wounded in the battle.

This remarkable exhibition is a must-see experience. It tells the story of 8 battlers with references to their actual diaries and stories from their families. It shows the story of the fight in Gallipoli and the reconstruction of the whole thing is simply amazing. Be astounded by the level of detail, with sweat on the brow and saliva on the tongues of the 8 giant sculptures.

Kirstie Ross has worked hard to put together this sobering reminder of the price paid for our freedom today. It took 20,000 hours and about 8-9 months – about the same amount of time the men were on the Gallipoli peninsula – to create the exhibition and you can’t help but be touched by their stories.

The lifelike giants are thanks to Richard Taylor and Weta Workshops and were created with a great deal of research. The team cast actors who resembled the men and used 3D modelling to create the 2.4 times larger than life sculptures and then every last stich was also scaled up. The cutting-edge media and the recourses of the best of the museum world create a dynamic combination, which completely immerses visitors.

For more information, visit the Te Papa Tongarewa website on: www.tepapa.govt.nz

For additional information about Wellington, visit: www.wellingtonnz.com/australia/

And the Tourism New Zealand website: www.newzealand.com