This exhibition will display a selection of photos from our Otago Harbour Board collection representing the changing face of Otago Harbour and the experiences of the people who work on it.
These photos will complement a new relief map of Otago Harbour which has recently come into the PCM's possession.
The Port Chalmers Museum has recently published a book - Capturing Port - on the life and work of David Alexander De Maus (1847-1925). De Maus was a photographer based in Port Chalmers in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. He recorded important local and national events, and his photos offer an interpretation of Port Chalmers during a period of remarkable industrial and civic growth. The book provides many examples of De Maus' work, and discusses his life a a local body politician and musician. A CD of his songs recorded for this project accompanies the book.
To support the launch of Capturing Port on July 5, the Port Chalmers Museum has prepared an exhibition of his photos from our collection. Many of these are portraits of local committee members and sports teams, suggesting that De Maus really was the Port Chalmers photographer. De Maus' photos of Port Chalmers, visiting ships, and local people provide a window on the settlement in the 19C and its active civic and maritime life.
This exhibtion will be enjoyed by anyone interested in Port Chalmers' history and Dunedin's history more generally, and those interested in photography. Capturing Port can be purchased from the Museum for $30.
Remembering the Wahine: 40 Years on
This exhibition (running from April to September 2008) opened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Wahine, New Zealand's newest inter-island ferry, in 1968. To date, the sinking of the Wahine is New Zealand's worst maritime disaster.
The exhibition outlines the key points of the sinking, including an examination of the storm that caused the Wahine to founder, stories of individual passengers, and a timeline of the crucial events.
The point of difference of this exhibition is the contribution of ex-Wahine crewman Stan Spiers, a resident of Port Chalmers. Stan has given us his input on the development of the exhibition, and kindly allowed us to display several items of his personal memorabilia. Stan opened the exhibitIon for us by sharing his personal recollections of the tragedy, with particular reference to the bravery of the Wellington residents who put their own lives in danger to rescue the Wahine survivors.
A Parade of Passing Ships
This exhibition featured ceramic models of ships created by Wellington artist Robert Rapson. Rapson is well-known for his ceramic ships with environmental features. The works are unique and proved to be extremely popular, and helped us to raise funding for development plans. Our thanks to Robert for his hard work.
The New Zealand Frozen Meat Trade
An exhibition celebrating the 125th anniversary of the frozen meat export trade from New Zealand. The S.S. Dunedin left Port Chalmers on the 15 February 1882 carrying 3,437 carcasses of mutton, 497 of lamb and 22 pigs.
Wharfies
Tracing the history of the Port Chalmers watersiders. The exhibition will include a documentary DVD with reminiscences of some of the characters that worked the port.
Miller & Tunnage: A Master Craft
An exhibition tracing the history of the vessels, craftsmen and events of nationally renowned boat-building firm Miller & Tunnage is currently showing at the Regional Maritime Museum, Port Chalmers. On display are artefacts, photographs and information that tell the story of the firm's origins in 1907 through to the last boats built on the site by Alvin Smith. Miller & Tunnage are well known throughout New Zealand for producing quality, traditional wooden boats and also some of the finest craftsmen. The exhibition, opened by Ian Tunnage, a previous part owner and son of one of the founders, was attended by around sixty people. Those who attended were also treated to a visit to Careys Bay where some of the Miller and Tunnage built vessels were available for closer inspection. The Port Chalmers Historical Society and the Regional Maritime Museum, Port Chalmers would like to thank all who assisted and contributed to this exhibition. Miller & Tunnage: A Master Craft will run until February 2007.
Aramoana: The Smelting Pot
To explore the issues surrounding proposals for an aluminium smelter to be built in Aramoana 25 years ago, the museum recently hosted an exhibition entitled, Aramoana: The Smelting Pot. The large-scale exhibition ran for three months from December 2005 and included a display of artefacts, an art exhibition, information panels and the screening of a documentary. To compliment the exhibition the museum commissioned two projects. The first, by filmmaker Chris Pryor was the production of a documentary, Aramoana: There is No Smelter. This film reveals the actions and opinions of those involved in, and affected by, the smelter project. It is currently available for purchase in DVD format from the museum. The second project was an installation by local artist, Adrian Hall. This piece, called Eclipse, was a contemporary mixed-media response to the upheaval caused to residents living in the Aramoana area 25 years ago.