The New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui A Tangaroa is a maritime museum in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand. It is located on Hobson Wharf, adjacent to the

Viaduct Harbour Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a former ...

in central Auckland. It houses exhibitions spanning New Zealand's maritime history, from the first Polynesian explorers and settlers to modern day triumphs at the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one ...

. Its Maori name is '' 'Te Huiteanaui-A-Tangaroa' '' – holder of the treasures of

Tangaroa Tangaroa (Takaroa in the South Island) is the great of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted a ...

(the Sea God).

History

The museum's founding director was Rodney Wilson, who from 1989 led fundraising efforts to establish the museum, which opened in 1993, the year the

regatta was held in Auckland. The cost was estimated at NZ$11.1 million. The entrance of the museum incorporates the Launchman's Building, a structure built in 1920 which formerly housed a number of small boating companies.

Collections

The museum cares for a number of collections and permanent exhibitions (as of 2006):Collections
(from the Museum website, dynamic website links) *Main exhibitions, concentrating on: **Polynesian, Maori vessels and navigation **European voyages of discovery **Settlement and immigration **Early coastal trading **Whaling and sealing **Modern commercial shipping **Lifeboat, pilotage and coastguard services **Navigation and marine surveying **Maritime art and crafts **Recreation and sporting maritime activities **Maritime trades **Harbour and port history *Collections, documentation: **New Zealand Maritime Index – documents about maritime topics **New Zealand Maritime Record – photos and articles about NZ ships ** Northern Steamship Company – website about the historical company **Bill Laxon Maritime Library – photos, charts and other documents **Lighthouses in New Zealand – documentation about lighthouse topics **New Zealand Maritime Firsts – achievements of NZ in maritime areas **Genealogy Documentation – immigration shipping lists, documents *Art collections: **Edmiston Collection **Fraser Collection

Seaworthy ships

In addition to a number of reconstructed or preserved ships in the building itself, the museum also owns a number of vessels that are normally berthed outside of the museum: * ''Breeze'', 1982 reproduction of a

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Ol ...

for NZ coastal trade * ''Puke'', late 19th century steam engine tender for coastal and river logging trade *''

Rapaki steam crane The ''Rapaki'' steam crane was a historic boat in New Zealand. On 24 December 1925 the Lyttelton Harbour Board ordered an 80-ton self-propelled floating crane, called ''Rapaki''. She was named after the settlement close to Lyttelton of the sam ...

'', 1926 floating steam crane, built in Scotland for the

Lyttelton Harbour Board The Lyttelton Harbour Board was established on 10 January 1877 to manage Lyttelton Harbour. The harbour had previously been managed by the Canterbury Provincial Council, but provincial government ceased to exist on 1 January 1877. The harbour bo ...

. Permanently removed and dismantled in December 2018. *'' Ted Ashby'', 1993 reproduction of

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

-rigged

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

typical, late 19th century northern NZ. Ted Ashby has public sailings every day except Monday. * Aotearoa One, launched 2013, described on the museum's website as "a modern take on a traditional

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

" Some personnel from the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

are also at times seconded to the museum to assist with maintenance of the ships and exhibition objects.

Extension

A NZ$8 million extension to the northern end of the museum was built in the late 2000s to house a permanent exhibition, ''Blue Water, Black Magic'', about Sir Peter Blake. It includes the original '' NZL 32'' (''Black Magic'').."A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake"
maritimemuseum.co.nz

References

External links

New Zealand National Maritime Museum
(museum homepage) * Interview wit
Rodney Wilson
Founding Director of the New Zealand National Maritime Museum, for th
Cultural Icons
project. Audio and Video {{Authority control Museums in Auckland Military and war museums in New Zealand Maritime museums in New Zealand Marine art museums 1990s architecture in New Zealand Auckland CBD Auckland waterfront Waitematā Harbour