What’s in a name? The 1905 All Blacks.
'All black' uniforms ... or 'all backs' misspelled? The debate continues today.
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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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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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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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 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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Portrait of John Danforth Greenwood
Early settler Sarah Greenwood recorded her family in a series of portraits in 1852.
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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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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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Poppy Day turns 85
2007 marks the 85th anniversary of the annual Poppy Day Appeal.
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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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Plunket turns 100
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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Movember 2007
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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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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Tree carvings a spiritual link to Moriori past
Dendroglyphs, or rakau hokoairo, are ancient tree carvings that can be found in certain parts of the Chatham Islands.
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Rua Kenana's temple at Maungapohatu
Constructed in 1908, this building 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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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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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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