Puke Ariki's bizarre objects go on show

Mystery object: Puke Ariki visitors will have the opportunity to try to identify curious items such as this in its collection at the exhibition Stranger Than Fiction which opened on Friday.

You'll have to do some detective work to figure out the exhibits in Puke Ariki's new show, Stranger Than Fiction, which opened on Friday.
Based on a similar show at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum in 2009, the exhibition features 27 unusual objects from Puke Ariki's collection, which visitors are encouraged to try to identify.
Kate Boocock, of the museum's Ruru Group, which organised the exhibition, said the items were strange in every sense of the term.
"You wouldn't know what they were just by looking at them," said Ms Boocock who was unwilling to the single out the most unusual object. "It's hard to know what the strangest (item) is but there is a particular lamp which no one would have the like of."
Ms Boocock said that the exhibition had allowed staff the opportunity to trawl the bowels of the museum for curious items and its overall feel was "quite fun and theatrical".
"We were trying to create a Victorian feel," she said.
While the information that will help identify the objects will not be anywhere near the the items, visitors will not be completely starved of clues.
"Information is available in the exhibition, but you will have to look for it," Ms Boocock said.
Stranger Than Fiction runs until July 31.
Shane White is a Witt journalism student