Space to have a blast at museum reserve

Otago Museum senior science engagement co-ordinator Andrew Mills reacts to a water explosion created using a liquid nitrogen device on the Museum Lawn on Saturday, while Hazel Ettrick (7), of Christchurch, plays with an air-propelled rocket during the museum’s Tuhura Tuarangi Blast Off Weekend.

Dr Mills said space would be the ongoing theme of the school holidays, aligning with World Space Week.

"We’ve had explosions and rocket launches outside on the museum reserve," he said.

"It’s been a lot of fun."

Inside, children could craft rockets and satellites from paper and string, and learn about Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. A new planetarium show about satellites was running, as was the "Tuhura Tuarangi Aotearoa in Space" science showcase.

"The key themes of space week are around being environmentally friendly, not just on earth but also in space ... and also how we can use space to understand our Earth better," Dr Mills said.