Main Trunk Line

Celebrating over 100 years of the Main Trunk Line

The first train journey between Wellington and Auckland took place in 1908.

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Kingsford Smith at Wigram airport

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.

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"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. Find out more more arrow

Anna Pavlova

Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova inspired generations of young dancers as she toured the world with her elegant solos. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

Jack Lovelock wins the 'mile of the century'

Runner Jack Lovelock is one of New Zealand's most famous sporting figures. Find out more more arrow

Jean Batten - Pioneer Pilot

In October 1936 New Zealand born pilot Jean Batten made the first direct flight from England to New Zealand. Find out more more arrow

Phar Lap

New Zealand-born racehorse Phar Lap dominated Australian racing in the early 1930s, and won the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Find out more more arrow

A perilous journey on ice

This photograph is one of a series documenting Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated Antarctic expedition in 1914-17. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008

Mountaineer, explorer, philanthropist and humble international celebrity; Sir Edmund Hillary was arguably our most famous and beloved New Zealander. Find out more more arrow

Mapping the Pacific Ocean

Abraham Ortelius produced this map, the first devoted to showing the Pacific Ocean, in 1589. Find out more more arrow

The beginnings of Roseneath

This map from about 1888 shows the birth of the Wellington suburb of Roseneath. Find out more more arrow

Nicola the Great – world’s master magician

Magic, circuses, pantomimes ... a poster collection reveals a fascinating slice of New Zealand theatrical life. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

The day the 'Wahine' sank

On 10 April 1968, the inter-island ferry 'Wahine' was caught in the heaviest storm ever to hit Wellington. Find out more more arrow

The Mt Tarawera eruption

The 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera destroyed the world-famous Pink and White Terraces and killed more than 100 people. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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). Find out more more arrow

Portrait of John Danforth Greenwood

Early settler Sarah Greenwood recorded her family in a series of portraits in 1852. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

What’s in a name? The 1905 All Blacks.

'All black' uniforms ... or 'all backs' misspelled? The debate continues today. Find out more more arrow

Poppy Day

April is the month for the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association's annual Poppy Day Appeal. Find out more more arrow

Whaling on Mohaka Beach

A rare insight into whaling in early New Zealand. Find out more more arrow

Thomas Laslett's journals

These journals record English timber surveyor Thomas Laslett's trips to New Zealand in the 1830s and 1840s. Find out more more arrow

Mothers and babies and Plunket

The Plunket Society was born in Dunedin on 14 May 1907, to 'help the mothers and save the babies'. Find out more more arrow

Playland – the Centennial fun park

Playland, an enormous amusement park, attracted more than 2.8 million visits at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

The Truth is hard to find

The National Library Research Fellow is looking for copies of the New Zealand Truth from 1905. Find out more more arrow

The Beatles tour New Zealand

The world changed for young New Zealanders when The Beatles landed in Wellington in June 1964. Find out more more arrow

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. Find out more more arrow

May 1964 – New Zealand farewells the tram

New Zealand’s tram service ended in 1964, in Wellington. Find out more more arrow

The Martyrdom of St Sebastian

This 16th-century illuminated manuscript is one of 23 in the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. Find out more more arrow

Sleeping Beauty meets a disgruntled Fairy Godmother

An illustration from The Fairy Tales, illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski. Find out more more arrow

Matariki, the Māori New Year

Matariki refers both to the Pleiades, a tiny cluster of stars, and the Māori New Year. Find out more more arrow

New Zealand’s first battle in World War II

On December 13 1939, the HMS Achilles became the first New Zealand unit to strike a blow at the enemy in the Second World War. Find out more more arrow