Highlights

Take a look at paintings by botanical artist Fanny Bertha Good (1860-1950) featured in Puke Ariki’s exhibition State of Nature: Picturing the Silent Forest. Fanny spent her time exploring the bush near her home in south Taranaki, painting our native trees and fungi. Search the museum collection to see more, and please leave us a comment if you can help identify any of the species she painted! Visit State of Nature from 7 April – 5 November 2023 to discover Fanny’s story.

From 1989 – 2003 these ceramics are all New Plymouth Potters Supreme Award winners. New Plymouth Potters provides a shared studio and exhibition space in Te Henui Vicarage for over 100 members, supporting them to develop and refine their ceramic skills. Each year the group has a shared exhibition and invites a well-known potter to judge the entries. Throughout the 1990s, the then Taranaki Museum purchased the winning entry and each one can be seen here. Explore the pieces, and see how styles have changed over time. Come into Te Pua Wananga o Taranaki | Taranaki Research Centre on the second floor of the library to see these on display in the exhibition 50 years of clay.

Step back in time and indulge in a little nostalgia! This highlight from the Puke Ariki photograph collection showcases glorious retro interiors from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Enjoy the visual feast of floral Axminster carpets, wire chairs and wood-panelled walls! What are your favourite design features from these eras?

Marine molluscs: Deep ocean to rocky shore
Molluscs are a diverse group of soft-bodied invertebrate animals. They range from deep ocean-dwelling squids, to shellfish that live in the sand on surf beaches. Six classes of animals make up the phylum Mollusca, including cephalopods, gastropods and bivalves, which are represented here.
Squids belong to the cephalopod class of molluscs. Some squids have an internal shell which supports them like a skeleton. Many of the shells which wash up on beaches are gastropod molluscs, which form ornate, single shells in a dazzling array of spiral forms. Bivalve molluscs have two shells around them joined by a hinge.

Celebrate twenty years of Puke Ariki with a trip down memory lane! To commemorate this important birthday we have created a highlight of moments from Puke Ariki’s opening in 2003. It is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on all of the memories created at Puke Ariki over the last two decades, and to look forward to all of the amazing things to come. Happy birthday Puke Ariki!