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A major exhibition of New Zealand fossils - some dating back 500 million years - starts on a national three-year tour this week.
NZ Fossils: Dead Precious! features 50 fossils chosen from thousands in the collections of GNS Science and Otago University. Some are being seen publicly for the first time.
The exhibition, which has taken two years to develop, will be launched at the GNS Science offices in Lower Hutt today before moving to the first museum of the seven-museum tour, Puke Ariki in New Plymouth, on October 26.
Many of the fossils are marine in origin. They include the remains of marine reptiles, whales and sharks.
The oldest on show are 500-million-year-old trilobites, or early crustaceans, found in northwest Nelson. The youngest is a moa bone less than a million years old.
GNS Science chief executive Alex Malahoff said the fossils have important stories to tell.
"It's not just about showing beautiful objects that are extraordinarily old. It underlines the significance of fossils to our daily lives and to our economy.
"Fossils record the quality and quantity of life, the big environmental events that have changed the world, and the continued evolution of plants and animals. The exhibition is also about making science accessible and transparent and showing the contribution that science makes to New Zealand."
The exhibition has been developed by GNS Science with principal partner Shell.
It will run until September 2009. As well as Puke Ariki, it will exhibit in museums in Rotorua, Napier, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.
