Auckland War Memorial Museum has been eerily quiet over the past two months as the doors have been closed under the alert level system in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
![Te Toki-a-Tāpiri, a waka carved from tōtara in the Māori Central Hall. Photo / Dean Purcell](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/23C6JAJ7YFUFRHDSOLML23T6AU.jpg?auth=fd278fc3bc530b98e52d2893a545c95e4250e87e58adffbb609b4ed5217be348&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Previously, more than 2000 visitors a day would swarm to the city's cultural hub to experience its latest exhibitions and absorb new works of art, with those numbers swelling at weekends. But with the lockdown period keeping everyone at home and overseas visitors unable to grace our shores, it's been a perpetual night at the museum.
![The Auckland Museum is a great repository of Pacific cultural artefacts. Photo / Dean Purcell](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/MO7KN6LOKUUQSDKXPBKMXFUSWE.jpg?auth=2dbeedb2a20f8af2861d92b7159df7f5c78db562ce4fcfca74840a7ea2433dfa&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Life at the museum has continued, however, if a little quietly, as collections need care and attention and the staff uphold their responsibility to the community to ensure that the taonga and artefacts are well cared-for and kept safe during the lockdown period.