Transit of Venus itineraries and contact information

Contacts:

Nelson Group: Dave Fairley (teacher), Patrick Downey, Michael Holmes, Michael Potton

Team Leader: Felicity Connell

Mobile no. 021 389 073

Email: teamnelson@vodafone.net.nz

Royal Society representative traveling with Nelson group: Debbie Woodhall, 0061 4235 63303

Tolaga Bay Group: Eileen Harrison (teacher), Hana Parata-Walker, Sara Pethybridge, Dexter Waru

Team Leader: Gresham Bradley

Mobile no: 021 389 311

Email: teamtolaga@vodafone.net.nz

Pakuranga Group: Gordon Lawrence (teacher), Riddhi Gupta, Sarini Naidoo, Sandy Tsai

Team Leader: Marilyn Head

Mobile no: 021 389 267

Email: teampakuranga@vodafone.net.nz

Paul Noon, 1st secretary, British High Commission, travelling independently

Mobile no. 021 711 335

Thursday 27 May Farewell Party at the Maritime Museum (5.30pm)

Friday 28 May Travel from Auckland to London

Saturday 29 May Arrive London

Sunday 30 May National Maritime Museum

Royal Observatory

London Eye

Monday 31 May Kew Gardens

George 3rd Observatory

Tuesday 1 June

ALL groups Visit Freemasons’ Hall, Gt Queen St

Lunch at Royal Society of London, 6-9 Carlton House Tce

(see original Cook letters; talk by Vice President, Dame Julia Higgins)

Nelson group Natural History Museum (Banks collection)

Tolaga Bay group British Museum

Pakuranga group Science Museum

Wednesday 2 June

Nelson group Cambridge – Meet at Dr Amiria Henare (daughter of Dame Anne Salmond) at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Visit Professor Stephen Hawking at Dept of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University

Tolaga Bay Group Silbury Hill/Avebury/Stonehenge

Pakuranga Group Sightseeing in Oxford/ Radcliffe Observatory / Halley’s House / Pitt Rivers Museum / Oxford Museum Lecture on the Transit of Venus: “The Most Noble Problem in Nature”, by William Sheehan

Thursday 3 June

Nelson Group Institute of Astronomy (meet Astronomer Royal and Master of Trinity College, Sir Martin Rees, plus ex-pats Gerry Gilmore and Bob Carswell) /tour of Cavendish Laboratory with ex-pat Professor Mark Warner/brief visit with Professor Stephen Hawking/ tour of Trinity College and punting on the River Cam with ex-pat Professor Robin Carrell

Tolaga Bay Group Salisbury Cathedral/Portsmouth (HMS Collingwood)

Pakuranga Group Meet expats Professor Alan Cooper (Ancient Biomolecules Centre) and Thomas Higham (Radiocarbon Laboratory), Oxford University

Sightseeing

Friday 4 June

Nelson Group Rotherham (Magna Museum)/ Canesis Ltd / Ilkley, West Yorkshire / Archaeological Resource Centre, York / York Minster)

Tolaga Bay Group Historical Dockyard Tour/ Travel to Lyme Regis (Cream Tea with Professor Richard Whitfield, who has close connections with New Zealand)

Pakuranga Group Travel to Leicester/ visit National Space Centre

Saturday 5 June

Nelson Group Sightsee York, including Jorvik Viking Centre

Tolaga Bay Group Fossil Hunting with Dr Dawes/Travel to Taunton and visit UK Hydrographic office/stay in Bristol

Pakuranga Group Travel to Preston from Leicester to Manchester (Science Museum/

Godlee Observatory)

Sunday 6 June

Nelson Group Travel to Staithes/Whitby (climb the 199 stairs to St Mary’s, the fictional steps of Bram Stoker’s Dracula; see Whitby Abbey, built 664 AD), lecture by Oxford science historian, Dr Alan Chapman

Tolaga Bay Group Sightseeing in Bath and Stratford upon Avon / travel to Leicester

Pakuranga Group Sightsee / Jodrell Bank / Register for International Astrophysics Union Colloquium on the Transit of Venus

Monday 7 June

Nelson Group Cooks Museum/Visit Dark Matter Experiment at Boulby Mine, 30 mins up the Coast from Whitby/Tour of Endeavour replica/meet up with all the

Other NZers at Trenchers Restaurant (5pm)/reception at Spa Pavilion

Civic Reception (7pm), including performance by Matariki cultural group

Tolaga Bay Group Travel from Leicester to Whitby/ Tour of Endeavour replica/meet up with all the other NZers at Trenchers Restauran/reception at Spa Pavilion/Civic Reception (7pm)

Pakuranga Group IAU Colloquium conference/Mayoral Reception

Tuesday 8 June

Nelson Group View dawn departure of Endeavour and beginning of Transit (performance by Matariki group)/breakfast with other Nzers at Spa Pavilion (7pm)/Dockside Party/Sutcliffe Gallery visit/Travel back to Leicester

Tolaga Bay Group as above /sightseeing in Whitby

Pakuranga Group View Transit at Carr House where Jeremiah Horrocks observed the 1639 Transit /Alston Observatory/Conference Banquet at Houghton Tower

Wednesday 9 June

Nelson Group National Space Centre Leicester/ Visit Eton College / Travel back to London

Tolaga Bay Group Travel from Whitby to London

Pakuranga Group Travel from Preston to London

All Dinner in London

Thursday 10 June Free day in London / depart London Heathrow

Friday 11 June Travelling

Saturday 12 June Arrival Auckland

For further information about the Expedition programme, contact Glenda Lewis, 04 470 5758, 025 210 0997, Glenda.lewis@rsnz.org