In New Zealand's Te Papa, A Virtual Reality By Neal Becton The Washington Post Sunday, September 27, 1998; Page E02

I was in New Zealand for the second time and figured, on this visit, I had to do a bungee jump. Along with rugby, sheep, hiking trails and beer, bungee jumping is among New Zealand's most distinguishing characteristics. In downtown Auckland, a city of almost a million inhabitants, people can be seen jumping off the sides of hotels downtown (safely tethered by a cord, of course). Luckily, when I got to Wellington, I found a saner way to join the bungeed hordes: the virtual bungee jump at the new, state-of-the-art Museum of New Zealand.

Imagine all the Smithsonian buildings condensed into one, update them, then throw in a really cool virtual game room, and you've got an idea of what the museum is like. The $190 million attraction is more commonly known by its Maori name, Te Papa Tongarewa, or Te Papa for short. It opened in February, and in spite of a controversy involving a statuette of the Virgin Mary in a condom (part of a visiting show that has since closed), Te Papa has received mostly favorable reviews. Te Papa, which loosely translates to Our Place, manages to combine a natural history museum, a national history museum, a national archive, an art museum, a nature walk and a great high-tech arcade. It may be one of the most ambitiously eclectic museums in the world, but it works. It threatens to put Wellington, a charming city of 200,000 that until now has not been a major tourist magnet, on many visitors' itineraries.

Te Papa is located on reclaimed land on Wellington's harborfront. The structure rests on 150 rubber and steel bearings to protect it from earthquakes. Wellington has about the same amount of seismic activity as Kobe, Japan, and there was some debate as to where the building ought to be located. One exhibit inside offers models of three different tremor-absorbing designs. Building 1 shakes violently in the simulated earthquake. Building 2 shakes slightly less. Building 3, Te Papa, doesn't move at all. I certainly hope they're right. But if you're curious, you can enter a small room nearby that simulates a 6.9 quake, complete with sound effects and rattling furniture.

The best thing about Te Papa is its hands-on feel. Almost every exhibit has interactive elements. In one, I pretended to be a European ship captain bringing settlers to New Zealand from Europe. It was my job to bring the most people across safely in the fastest manner and at the lowest cost. At the Equator I was faced with no wind and a dangerously restless crew threatening mutiny. Something had to be done. I decided to throw a "crossing the line" party for passengers and crew. I lost a few drunken sailors overboard but saved morale and got to port pretty much on schedule and within budget.

At another display I steered an outrigger canoe by using the stars and finally found out what the Southern Cross looks like. I listened to some Maori songs and stories at another interesting exhibit. I also got to read the Treaty of Waitangi, considered the founding document of the country.

Te Papa's history exhibits do a great job of balancing New Zealand's Maori and South Pacific cultures with its newer European influences, without watering everything down to be PC. Everything from huge carved war canoes, battle dresses, utensils and even a pair of beautiful Maori meeting houses are on display. On the top floor is a marae, a combination carved house and ceremonial space. The marae and its outdoor promontory face the sunrise, as do all Maori meeting houses, and is meant to be for all the citizens of New Zealand.

Back at the virtual bungee jump, my hands were sweating as I gingerly stepped off the little platform. In an instant the entire contraption physically turned me upside down. Seeing only the view the visor's screens permitted, I "hurtled" toward the canyon floor, hearing the wind rushing by my ears and seeing the river at the bottom draw nearer and nearer. A split second before I was about to hit the river I felt a tug on my legs and I stopped falling. Finally the contraption righted me and my "jump" was over.

I emerged slightly shaken and red-faced. On a monitor outside, spectators had watched the entire jump through my perspective. A few already had their 6 dollars (about $3.50 in American dollars) ready to go.

Before the jump, I had planned to try out the virtual sheep-shearing station nearby. A few New Zealanders had gathered there, but I was worried they'd peg me as a foreigner. I suppose that, if I want to indulge in yet another virtual New Zealand ritual, I'll have to come back to visit Te Papa again.

Te Papa, open daily, is located on Cable Street on the Wellington waterfront, a short walk from the central business and retail district. Free admission. Details: http://www.tepapa.govt.nz, telephone 011-64-4-381-7000.