‘What a Life’ is a selection of photograph albums which capture moments from the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy, offering us a glimpse into the lives of the sailors who created them.

The albums provide insight into moments, into memories. However, as time passes, memories fade and stories can be lost. We are often left with curiosity and many questions unanswered. As viewers, we become detectives, interpreting history through the photographs displayed. What information, what emotion, can be uncovered from an image or a caption?

‘What a Life’ offers a moment to pause and explore the memories of our sailors through snapshots of time spent at sea and ashore, through war and peace, at home and abroad.

He kohinga pukaemi whakaahua a ‘What a Life’ e hopu ana i ngā āhuatanga o mua o Te Taua Moana, e whakaatu ana i ngā ao o ngā heramana nā rātounei i waihanga.

He tirohanga ēnei pukaemi ki ngā wā, ki ngā maharatanga. Engari, i te huringa o te wā, ka ngaro ngā pūmahara, ā, ka ngaro hoki ngā kōrero. Ko te mutunga atu ka mahue mai ko te wairua pakirehua, me te maha o ngā pātai kāore he whakautu. Hei kaimātakitaki, ka huri tātou hei kaitūhura, e whakamāori ana i te hītori mā ngā whakaahua e whakaaturia ana. He aha ngā mōhiohio, he aha ngā kare-ā-roto, ka taea te tūhura mai i tētahi pikitia, whakapūaho rānei?

Mā ‘What a Life’ ka whai wā koe ki te āta noho ka tūhura i ngā pumahara o ā tātou heramana mā ngā whakaahua i a rātou i te moana me uta, i te pakanga me te wā o te rongo, i te kāinga me tāwāhi.