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Story: Museums

Julius Haast at Canterbury Museum, 1867

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Julius Haast at Canterbury Museum, 1867

Canterbury Museum founder Julius Haast is shown here with moa skeletons in 1867. Haast excavated a large quantity of moa bones from Glenmark station in North Canterbury, and these formed the basis of the museum collection. He exchanged moa bones with many overseas museums, receiving in return natural history specimens and cultural artefacts.

Using this item

Auckland Council Libraries − Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero o Tāmaki Makaurau, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Reference: 589-76

by Daniel Louis Mundy

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Conal McCarthy, Museums – The foundation years, 1850 to 1900, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/43869/julius-haast-at-canterbury-museum-1867 (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Conal McCarthy, published 18 December 2013.