I greatly dislike waiting in lines for things like exhibitions, tourists attractions…. There was only one exhibition this year where I spent waiting almost an hour before the doors opened This exhibition was at Te Papa, Wellington called Gallipoli: The scale of our war exhibition which marks World War 1 centenary.

It is free and well worth the wait. Created with Weta workshop (creators of the likes of Lord of the rings and a number of other well-known movies), the attention to detail is really mind blowing. Despite a recent article in NZ Herald saying that there are no emotions present and that people paid more attention to the hairs on the soldier’s arms.. I found it really touching. The layout was a bit unusual – every second room had a giant figurine of a character (soldier, nurse, exhausted lieutenant, etc) telling a story about their experience at war. Due to the size of the figurines it grabs your attention and brings a real mix of emotions. The room following an introduction to the character has a few more personal items and a range of exhibits related to the character.

Apart from an overpriced gift shop at the exit, I loved it.

Gallipoli: The scale of our war exhibition will be open until 2018 at Te Papa museum in Wellington.

Te Papa put together an amazing manual for teachers showing the exhibition to the students – great read indeed with some detailed info about the exhibition.