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Exploration Extended at Otago Museum

Otago Museum has extended the James Cameron – Challenging the Deep exhibition for two weeks, giving Dunedin residents – and out of town visitors – who have not yet visited an extra chance to do so before it leaves the city.

Dr Ian Griffin, Otago Museum Director, said, “We’re really pleased to have the exhibition for a little longer – it has been so well-received and people have been coming back for a second look as well which is a sure sign of a good experience!”

James Cameron – Challenging the Deep was developed by the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Avatar Alliance Foundation, and immerses visitors in shifting patterned light, giving the sense of being deep underwater.

The exhibition chronicles Cameron’s career as a deep-sea explorer with a lifelong fascination for the ocean. He has led eight major deep-sea expeditions and many submersible dives, setting world firsts including the first solo dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the first exploration of the interior of the wreck of RMS Titanic, and the first seafloor-to-surface live broadcast.

The many-layered exhibition encompasses large-scale film projections, sketches, personal belongings and even a replica of the submersible that carried Cameron on his record-breaking dive to the world’s deepest ocean.

The response to the exhibition has been overwhelmingly positive, with one visitor writing online: "We travelled from Hamilton in the North Island to go... Absolutely brilliant and worth the time and money. Take a day, take the family and enjoy an excellent facility."

The exhibition is now closing on Sunday 23 February.