More museum

Ruapehu Bulletin, 22 June 1993, Page 12 (Supplement)

More museum

BY

JENELLE

FREWEN

The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Museum looks set for a new burst of development, starting this summer. Further extensions are on the drawing board with a proposal to relocate the cafeteria, souvenir shop and archive library to a new building, along with the creation of a military theme park on the land surrounding the existing building. A new car park is to be built between the Museum and State Highway 1, offering the public much easier access into the Museum. "We hope to provide displays which are more publicly interactive," museum director, Major Peter Pitts, said. Internal enhancement is also being looked at. As part of their course a group of students from Wellington's School of Interior Design are spending this week at the Museum, studying the existing layout and making proposals for changes to cope with the museum's expansion. The Crete display has been taken down after a successful two-year run. The students have. been allocated that space during their week in Waiouru. Visitors to the Museum will therefore be

able to see the students at work. After the students have gone that site will be used to display several vehicles which are currently undergoing restoration at the Waiouru Army Camp. The Museum, together with the Ruapehu District Council's marketing branch, have been hard at work promoting this region for tourism. As a result they are producing a new brochure which will be readily available to tourists throughout the area. The Museum's five promotional billboards, located on the roads leading to Waiouru have also undergone a facelift, now depicting a sepiatoned battle scene. The QEII Memorial Museum's displays range from the New Zealand Land Wars of the 1840s right up to the current days' peacekeeping activities. Recent additions to the Museum include several pieces on loan from soldiers who participated in United Nations Operations in Cambodia and Somalia, as well as two impressive tapestries donated by the Hawkes Bay Embroiderer's Guild. There is also a 20minute audio-visual display giving a short Army history