The weather is so volatile right now, it’s hard to plan anything. You wake up, it’s grey as can be… turn around, wake up again, blue skies… jump in the shower, ready to go out, it’s raining. Do some surfing, blue skies, out for coffee… walking home, back in the rain…

I want to do a bike ride or go over to the islands, but not with that weather. So I opted for the Museum instead.

The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in the heart of Auckland is an amazing building. It sits at the edge of Albert Park, towards the foot of one of Auckland’s many hills.

Partially old, partially brand new, it combines different styles and creates a huge exhibition space, much bigger than you would expect from the outside.

The old part housed the Auckland City Council offices, lecture theatre and public library at the end of the 19th century. In 2007, the Gallery closed for its major extension, and reopened in September 2011, doubling its exhibition space.

I expected a small museum with a bit of modern and NZ art, however you can really spent quite some time in there – more than an occasional rain shower.

First of all, it’s free. I like that concept. I don’t think museums should take money for entry. They probably never break even anyway, but the educational value they provide and the outreach they have if they are free of charge makes up for the financial support they need. In my opinion.

In its different wings and old and new exhibition halls, it houses a variety of art, from historic European art, English and French landscapes, English upper class portraits, to European and American modern artists in paintings, photography and sculpture.

The Gallery’s collection also includes major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art, and outstanding works by Māori and Pacific Island artists.

That part is the most interesting. While I have to go back because my favorite Picasso, Matisse and Monet were temporarily closed, the New Zealand art its are the ones that you just can’t find anywhere else.

A current exhibition called Five Māori Painters exhibits contemporary Māori art. They deal with a number of Māori specific topics, notably their place in New Zealand’s society today, but also with a number of historical topics.

The arrival of European settlers and theTreaty of Waitangi feature prominently in many paintings.

Their paintings protest current and historic injustices, and have a strong message for the environment, and issues of land use that run against their customs, beliefs or cultural traditions.

Some of them reminded me strongly of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, and also the murals of her husband, Diego Rivera, from the style and the political message they convey.

There’s also a number of paintings made by the first Europeans that made contact with Māori.

The ships seem to have had a number of artists on board who, either there or later back in Europe, painted a number of scenes from Māori villages, culture, or first encounters. A great number of drawings or photos also show various Māori portraits.

Plus, they have a a good display of New Zealand’s current art scene. I will have to come back on the next rainy day.