Egypt Beyond the Tomb

As the weather was so dismal today and preventing us doing the chores we were supposed to do around home we decided a trip to the museum was in order. I'd been looking forward to seeing the Egypt beyond the tomb exhibition. and Dh was keen to see the new atrium extension. We foolishly went in the traditional front entrance we've been using for the last 30+ years and promptly got lost, the signage to the exhibition was pretty atrocious and we ended up having to ask. We should've gone in the new exhibitions door. Entry wasn't well organised with a mix of people trying to purchase tickets directly at the exhibition entrance and the rest of us that had bought them a the main door. No photography was allowed in the exhibition so I can't show any of it. It was quite an interesting exhibition examining death and its rituals in Egypt. The mummified "pets" were interesting - the cats ears were very carefully wrapped but it was difficult to tell that the snake was actually a snake, it could've been a parcel of anything. I particularly liked the book of the dead with its spells to ensure you passage to the other world. I thought it was especially good that they had all the right words to convince the 42 "judges" that they were innocent even if they weren't! They also put little statues in their coffins with spells inscribed on them that would bring them to life and they would then do all your work for you in the afterlife - I'd like some of them for this life. So overall it was interesting but I didn't enjoy it as much as the da Vinci exhibition last year, I guess it wasn't very interactive though there were activity sheets for the kids.

We had lunch - I'd forgotten how expensive central Auckland prices are just for a sandwich - and then meandered through the Wild Child exhibit where we relived the nostalgia of our youth much to the amusement of the child. Then we went up to the Scars of the Heart exhibition which is all the War Memorial stuff. Some amazing stained glass windows up there. It's all been renovated since I was last up there. Loved the 1866 Auckland street which was always a favourite of mine as a child, it all looks pristine now. The boys were quite taken with the Zero and Spitfire that are assembled in their own galleries up there. Even the armoury was fascinating, I'm not sure how they even lifted some of the swords. It was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon.