Mo' Tat (Tat = rubbish, Mo' = more)

"Welcome to Smooch Tat, may I take your order?"

MOTAT Is Auckland, New Zealand's "Museum of Transport and Technology" and they are currently offering free entry to anyone who resides in Auckland. Now this is a pretty cool gesture, but has anyone been to MOTAT lately?

I know they're severely underfunded, and run mostly on volunteer staff, but they really need people to give them some more old stuff. Because what I saw was mostly the same old stuff they've always had, in newly painted sheds.

Anyway, seeing as it was my birthday and I needed an excuse not to drink before lunch, I thought i'd pop down there with my camera and collate a selection of historical smooch.


They had this there. This blue thing. The thrill of it all.


A dirty seat deters everyone but the most hardened old tractor seat-sitter from touching the machinery.

The fire engines are left "as is"



As. Is.


I got to look at these old buses for free.


And this old grader (I think it's a grader, it's been a long time since I played in the sandpit).


And these old tins. All absolutely free to look at.


And this er, empty room ...choice.


Rusty pipes. Historic, important, pioneering rusty pipes. These were actually one of the newer additions to Motat's collection.


This bus was new too. And full of seats of other old bus seats. All part of the deal.

I also realised that Richard Pearse was a slightly demented chap who was still trying to make planes out of bits of old metal and cloth as late as 1944.

So you can see that MOTAT is still everything that you remember it being. And free is a fair price.