National Archives

I thought that we should give a general view of what we do each day at the New Zealand National Archives. We are completing a multi-year project the church has had with the NZ government to film their probate records (wills, etc). The archives are located in downtown Wellington, next to the harbor. From the top floor, there is a break room that overlooks the harbor. Here is a photo. Some days are sunny too.

Our workrooms are between two floors, with access from the stairwell. The room has no windows, which helps with the photography since we can keep the same level of light all day. This first photo shows a painting that a previous missionary sister painted, to make the room more inviting. This bird is the Moa, which has been extinct for a few hundred years. The Maori over-hunted it after arriving on the islands.

This is where I sit to photograph the probate records. The bird behind my head is the Kiwi. (sorry for the blockage) In the cabinet on the right are the records that have been unboxed, and flattened (unfolded, now being pressed flat prior to photographing).

This work table is where the probates are taken from the boxes (in foreground) and flattened, then sorted individually. Lois normally does this work. So far we have been able to capture about 3,500 images in a week. (the record here is about 15,000). Hopefully we will get better at it.

We are in the central business district. The National Library is one block away. Parliament is about 2 blocks. Here are a few photos of those buildings.

The next photo Lois took near Parliament. It is the Silver Fern, the national symbol of New Zealand. It can grow up to 20m (65 feet) high. 

Even though it is winter here, it is quite temperate. Some bushes are already blooming and some are waiting for spring.

Wellington is a very diverse city. People from all over live here. There are very many types of food. Many small restaurants in our area cater to the lunch crowds. We have tried Thai, Vietnamese, New Zealand style bakery, fish and chips. It has all been good. 

Until next time.