Best Reached by Rail

Advertising posters designed by the New Zealand Railways Department’s publicity studio encouraged Kiwis to choose rail for their holiday transportation.

Featuring vivacious figures and picturesque landscapes, these sometimes quirky posters offer a chance to reflect on how New Zealanders of the past holidayed and explored their own ‘backyard’.

Rail posters featured in the exhibition.

These MOTAT collection items were conserved in collaboration with Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery. To preserve the posters’ condition, they will be displayed in pairs for two months at a time.

• Taking the Train, Taking the Waters, 3 August to 1 October 2020

• Iconic Landscapes, 2 October to 3 December 2020

• Special Occasions, 4 December to 28 January 2021

• Keeping Kiwis on the Rails 1, 29 January to 01 April 2021

• Keeping Kiwis on the Rails 2, 2 April to 27 May 2021

• Old World Influence, 28 May to 30 July 2021

Please note this exhibition is accessible during the opening times of the Walsh Memorial Library, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.

The rail poster collection can also be viewed on Collections Online.

STORIES FROM THE EXHIBITION

TAKING THE WATERS: STRANGE TREATMENTS AT A GOVERNMENT RUN SPA

Best Reached By Rail exhibition curator Todd Dixon explores cutting-edge treatments that were on offer at the Rotorua Baths a government-run health resort that was a popular rail destination in the early 20th century.