A Dinosaur Named Sue

Top Image supplied by Puke Ariki & Field Museum, Chicago

Bottom Image by Grant Rewi, Auckland; Thanks to Puke Ariki & Field Museum, Chicago

When my sons were small they were obsessed with dinosaurs. They knew the names of almost every prehistoric monster that roamed the earth. So I had to smile when Grant, who now works at Auckland Museum, sent me this photo (bottom image) that he took at New Plymouth’s Puke Ariki recently. “A T.Rex Named Sue”opened in New Plymouth on July 26 and runs until November 2. Sue – a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton measuring 12 feet tall and 42 feet long – was discovered in 1990 by commercial fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson in the Hell Creek Formation in western South Dakota, USA. The largest, most complete and best preserved T.rex skeleton yet discovered, Sue normally resides at Chicago’s Field Museum (their site has some great photos) and it took six 40-foot shipping containers to get her to New Zealand. Unpacking over 200 bones has been a big job – the skull alone measures 5-feet in length and when you see those enormous teeth you begin to appreciate why this monster has been tagged the most terrifying dinosaur of all. Fascinating stuff – and can you imagine Sue Hendrickson’s face when she dug this baby up! www.pukeariki.com www.fieldmuseum.org

Design Spot 2

This is what you call keeping it all in the family - jewellery by Auckland-based son, Grant Rewi. Says Grant: "The style of my jewellery is more determined by the methods I use to produce it - I am not really a jeweller and having never undertaken any training as a jeweller, I probably approach the construction and manufacturing side of things differently to most jewellers. I don't own many jewellery-making tools; the majority of my work is produced in an engineering workshop. I think a lot of my stuff reflects that." Grant, who has a Bachelor of Design from Auckland's Unitec Institute of Technology, has exhibited work at Eon Design Centre, Unitec and Studio 14 Gallery, all in Auckland and at the Melbourne store of leading New Zealand fashion label, Zambesi. He also designs furniture and works fulltime at Auckland Museum.