Celebrating over 100 years of the Main Trunk Line
The first train journey between Wellington and Auckland took place in 1908.
The first flight across the Tasman
Australian pilot Charles Kingsford Smith made the first trans-Tasman aircrossing, from Sydney to Christchurch, on 11 September 1928.
"Queen of Crime" Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh, known as one of the "Queens of Crime" was an internationally best-selling detective writer and prominent figure in New Zealand theatre.
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Anna Pavlova
Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova inspired generations of young dancers as she toured the world with her elegant solos.
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Santa Claus visits the Chatham Islands
Santa Claus visited the Chatham Islands on 15 December 1951 to celebrate the first anniversary of TEAL's Wellington-Chatham Islands Service.
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Harry Walmsley's toy hospital
In 1938 damaged toys from warehouses were sent to Harry Walmsley’s toy hospital in Auckland to be repaired and given away to children at Christmas.
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Jack Lovelock wins the 'mile of the century'
Runner Jack Lovelock is one of New Zealand's most famous sporting figures.
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Jean Batten - Pioneer Pilot
In October 1936 New Zealand born pilot Jean Batten made the first direct flight from England to New Zealand.
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Phar Lap
New Zealand-born racehorse Phar Lap dominated Australian racing in the early 1930s, and won the 1930 Melbourne Cup.
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A perilous journey on ice
This photograph is one of a series documenting Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated Antarctic expedition in 1914-17.
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Return of the 28th (Māori) Battalion, 1946
The returning soldiers of the 28th (Māori) Battalion docked at Pipitea Wharf in Wellington on 23 January 1946.
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Katherine Mansfield
The National Library, and in particular the Alexander Turnbull Library, has the world's most significant collection of items related to Katherine Mansfield.
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Tree carvings - a spiritual link to Moriori past
Rakau hokoairo (dendroglyphs) are ancient tree carvings that can be found in parts of the Chatham Islands.
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Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008
Mountaineer, explorer, philanthropist and humble international celebrity; Sir Edmund Hillary was arguably our most famous and beloved New Zealander.
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Mapping the Pacific Ocean
Abraham Ortelius produced this map, the first devoted to showing the Pacific Ocean, in 1589.
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The beginnings of Roseneath
This map from about 1888 shows the birth of the Wellington suburb of Roseneath.
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Nicola the Great – world’s master magician
Magic, circuses, pantomimes ... a poster collection reveals a fascinating slice of New Zealand theatrical life.
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William Fox
William Fox was one of the most significant figures in New Zealand’s early political life, and also one of the country’s most prolific painters.
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The day the 'Wahine' sank
On 10 April 1968, the inter-island ferry 'Wahine' was caught in the heaviest storm ever to hit Wellington.
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The Mt Tarawera eruption
The 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera destroyed the world-famous Pink and White Terraces and killed more than 100 people.
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Songs of the New Zealand 28 (Māori) Battalion
Ake, ake kia kaha e! The latest release in the Treasures in Sound / He Puiaki Puoro series.
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The golden eye of the tuatara
Tuatara is a Māori word meaning 'peaks on the back'. This photograph is by Austrian photographer and naturalist Richard Sharell (1893-1986).
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Portrait of John Danforth Greenwood
Early settler Sarah Greenwood recorded her family in a series of portraits in 1852.
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Crosscutting timber in Lavin's Bush
This is one of a series of paintings in which Alfred Cooper recorded settler life in Hawkes Bay in the 1860s.
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What’s in a name? The 1905 All Blacks.
'All black' uniforms ... or 'all backs' misspelled? The debate continues today.
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Poppy Day
April is the month for the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association's annual Poppy Day Appeal.
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Whaling on Mohaka Beach
A rare insight into whaling in early New Zealand.
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Thomas Laslett's journals
These journals record English timber surveyor Thomas Laslett's trips to New Zealand in the 1830s and 1840s.
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Mothers and babies and Plunket
The Plunket Society was born in Dunedin on 14 May 1907, to 'help the mothers and save the babies'.
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Playland – the Centennial fun park
Playland, an enormous amusement park, attracted more than 2.8 million visits at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition.
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Te reo at the Royal Tour
When the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York visited New Zealand in 1901, te reo Māori was incorporated into events held to welcome them.
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Hawke's Bay earthquake 1931
On 3 February 1931 the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand was rocked by a violent earthquake which killed more than 250 people.
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Rua Kenana's temple at Maungapohatu
Constructed in 1908, Hiona was the focus of a religious community in a remote part of the Urewera region.
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The Truth is hard to find
The National Library Research Fellow is looking for copies of the New Zealand Truth from 1905.
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The Beatles tour New Zealand
The world changed for young New Zealanders when The Beatles landed in Wellington in June 1964.
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Television arrives in New Zealand
There was only one channel, it was in black and white, and broadcasts only lasted for a few hours each day, but New Zealanders finally got to watch TV in June 1960.
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May 1964 – New Zealand farewells the tram
New Zealand’s tram service ended in 1964, in Wellington.
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The Martyrdom of St Sebastian
This 16th-century illuminated manuscript is one of 23 in the Alexander Turnbull Library collections.
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Sleeping Beauty meets a disgruntled Fairy Godmother
An illustration from The Fairy Tales, illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
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Movember, the manly month
Facial hair flourishes in the month of 'Movember', as men grow moustaches for charity, raising money and awareness in support of men's health issues.
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Matariki, the Māori New Year
Matariki refers both to the Pleiades, a tiny cluster of stars, and the Māori New Year.
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