New Zealand Maritime Museum Explained

New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui A Tangaroa
Location:	Auckland, New Zealand
Address:	Corner Quay Street and Hobson Street
Inauguration Date:	1993
Owner:	Auckland Unlimited, Auckland Council (indirectly through Auckland Unlimited)
Building Type:	Museum, maritime history
Website:	https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/

The New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui A Tangaroa is a maritime museum in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on Hobson Wharf, adjacent to the Viaduct Harbour 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. Its Maori name is 'Te Huiteanaui-A-Tangaroa' – holder of the treasures of Tangaroa (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 America's Cup regatta was held in Auckland.^{[1] [2]} The cost was estimated at NZ$11.1 million.^[3] The entrance of the museum incorporates the Launchman's Building, a structure built in 1920 which formerly housed a number of small boating companies.^[4] Many of the early maritime collections were long-term loans from Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The old Launchman's Building (Launch Offices) gained a Category II listing from Heritage New Zealand in 1981.^[5]

Collections

The museum cares for a number of collections and permanent exhibitions (as of 2006):^[6]

• 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:^[6]

• Breeze, 1982 reproduction of a brigantine for NZ coastal trade
• Puke, late 19th century steam engine tender for coastal and river logging trade
• Rapaki steam crane, 1926 floating steam crane, built in Scotland for the Lyttelton Harbour Board. Permanently removed and dismantled in December 2018.^[7]
• Ted Ashby, 1993 reproduction of ketch-rigged scow 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"^[8]

Some personnel from the Royal New Zealand Navy are also at times seconded to the museum to assist with maintenance of the ships and exhibition objects.^[9]

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).^{[10] [11]}

External links

• New Zealand National Maritime Museum (museum homepage)
• New Zealand National Maritime Museum Online Collections
• Interview with Rodney Wilson, Founding Director of the New Zealand National Maritime Museum, for the Cultural Icons project. Audio and Video

-36.8417°N 174.7634°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Museum pays tribute to former director. Auckland War Memorial Museum. 4 January 2016. 30 April 2013.
2. Web site: A Tribute to: T.L.Rodney Wilson CNZM. New Zealand Maritime Museum. 4 January 2016.
3. From New Zealand - Auckland Maritime Museum . Newsletter of the Society for Nautical Research . May 1993 . 10 . 9.
4. Book: Cameron . Ewen . Hayward . Bruce . Bruce Hayward . Murdoch . Graeme . A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage . 978-1-86962-1513 . Random House New Zealand . 2008 . 202 . Revised.
5. Web site: Launch Offices . 2023-09-15 . Heritage New Zealand . en-NZ.
6. http://www.nzmaritime.org/home.html Collections
7. Web site: Steam crane makes way for Hobson wharf improvements . scoop . scoop . 21 March 2019.
8. Web site: Aotearoa One . New Zealand Maritime Museum . 13 January 2020.
9. http://www.navy.mil.nz/visit-the-base/recent-activities/maritime-museum.htm Helping out at the New Zealand National Maritime Museum
10. News: Peter Blake remembered: Raising a glass to fallen sailing hero . Trevett, Claire . 2 December 2006 . . 30 November 2011.
11. http://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/exhibitions/blue-water-black-magic/tribute-sir-peter-blake "A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake"