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Entry is free this Thursday, 20 October, to Te Papa and City Gallery Wellington’s collaborative exhibition Oceania.

Entry is free this Thursday, 20 October, to Te Papa and City Gallery Wellington’s collaborative exhibition Oceania.

As part of the City Council’s sponsorship of Te Papa, Wellington City residents and ratepayers are given occasional free entry to certain exhibitions. Because more visitors than usual are here for Rugby World Cup 2011, Te Papa is making Oceania: Early Encounters free to all public on Thursday.

City Gallery Wellington, which is managed through Wellington Museums Trust and receives funding support from Wellington City Council, is also pleased to open its doors for free.

The Council’s Economic Portfolio Leader, Councillor Jo Coughlan, says “we’re thrilled to offer Oceania for free, not only to Wellingtonians, but visitors also.”

Both exhibitions, Oceania: Imagining the Pacific at City Gallery and Oceania: Early Encounters at Te Papa are interconnected. The shows explore the vibrancy of the Pacific region and consider what characterises the art and culture of our corner of the world.

“Thursday’s free day will especially appeal to the international visitors here for RWC 2011. It’s a chance for them to learn a lot about early New Zealand and the Pacific cultures,” says Cr Coughlan.

While the City Gallery Wellington is open from 10am until 5pm, Te Papa is open from 10am until 9pm on Thursdays so there will be plenty of time for people who work during the day to take advantage of this offer. Last entry is at 8.30pm.

These offers have been really popular in the past, and with the extra visitors Te Papa has been experiencing this month, people should be prepared to queue.