Museum of Wellington City & Sea Celebrates the Great Kiwi Pav

Forget cricket and rugby; when it comes to rivalry between New Zealand and Australia, it’s the seemingly innocuous pavlova that really gets blood boiling. In recent years, historians have backed New Zealand’s claim to the iconic dessert and this Thursday lunchtime, Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Tarrant Dance Studios and boutique bakehouse The Baker’s Whisk celebrate the birth of the pavlova here in Wellington nearly 100 years ago.

Contrary to what our friends across the ditch would have us believe, the meringue and cream concoction dates back to 1926 and Anna Pavlova’s visit to Wellington. Exact details are sketchy, but legend places the creation of the dessert with the chef at the Grand Hotel who was so taken with the dancer’s tutu, that he was inspired to create the Pavlova in her honour.

This week’s celebrations – which kick off at 12.30pm - are the latest in a series of Throwback Thursday fundraising events which pay homage to some of stories that make our region unique. For $4, Wellingtonians can enjoy a bag of delicious meringue kisses, baked by The Baker’s Whisk, accompanied by a performance by young dancers from the Deirdre Tarrant Dance Theatre, who will dance to the same music that inspired Pavlova herself when she was here.

Throwback Thursday is part of the Museum of Wellington City & Sea’s What Year Are You? fundraising campaign, which has been set up to raise money for the development of the Museum’s Attic space. The project has already secured funding from the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Wellington City Council and the Lottery Grants Board but the Museum, named one of the Top 50 in the world by The Times of London, is now looking for support from the people of the Wellington region.

People can ‘buy’ one of the 150 years that Wellington has been capital city (from 1865) via a dedicated Trade Me presence. The names of everyone who buys a year will be displayed in The Attic when it opens later this year. The Attic exhibition will reveal some of the fascinating collection items which until now have been hidden away in the Museum’s Collection Store.

The opening of The Attic will increase the Museum’s floor space by nearly a third and is the first stage in a major, multi-year development project. Over the next five years, all four floors of the Museum’s historic Bond Store will be developed. By 2020, the Museum will boast more gallery space, community areas and improved access. A café on the ground floor will complete the improved visitor experience.

ENDS

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