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Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Wellington Zoo and t leaf T team up for tea on Queens Wharf

Museum of Wellington City & Sea, Wellington Zoo and t leaf T present a tea party with a difference on Queens Wharf this Thursdaylunchtime (February 12) as they travel back in time to the 1950s and the Zoos iconic Chimpanzee Tea Parties.

The tea party which kicks off at 12.30pm - is the second in a series of Throwback Thursday fundraising events which pay homage to some of stories that make our region unique. For a gold coin donation, Wellingtonians will be able to sample some of the delicious teas both hot and cold - that have established t leaf T as a thriving success story in a city better known for its coffee.

People will also be able to get up close and personal with one of the Zoos most popular animals. All money raised at the event will go towards the development of the Museum of Wellington City & Seas Attic space, which will bring the story of the tea parties to life when it opens later this year.

Founded in 1906 when a young lion was presented to Wellington by the Bostok and Wombwell Circus, Wellington Zoo is now one of the citys leading visitor attractions. While the Zoos focus today is on animal welfare, conservation and education, in the mid 1950s times were different and one of the most popular attractions were the regular Chimpanzee Tea Parties.

With up to 2,000 people attending each event, the tea parties made stars of their primate participants. Indeed, so popular were the chimps that one of them, Breena, helped launch the first live TV broadcast in 1961. The Zoo called time on the tea parties in 1970 as their focus turned away from entertainment.

Throwback Thursday is part of the Museum of Wellington City & Seas What Year Are You? fundraising campaign, which has been set up to raise money for the development of the Museums Attic space. The project has already secured funding from the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Wellington City Council and the Lottery Grants Board but the Museum, named one of the Top 50 in the world by The Times of London, is now looking for support from the people of the Wellington region.

People can buy one of the 150 years that Wellington has been capital city (from 1865) via a dedicated Trade Me presence. The names of everyone who buys a year will be displayed in The Attic when it opens later this year. The Attic exhibition will reveal some of the fascinating collection items which until now have been hidden away in the Museums Collection Store among them, the chairs used by the chimps at the Zoos tea parties.

The opening of The Attic will increase the Museums floor space by nearly a third and is the first stage in a major, multi-year development project. Over the next five years, all four floors of the Museums historic Bond Store will be developed. By 2020, the Museum will boast more gallery space, community areas and improved access. A caf on the ground floor will complete the improved visitor experience.

ENDS

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Throwback Tea Party At Queens Wharf