New Zealand Maritime Museum

File:New Zealand Maritime Museum.jpg

The museum on the Auckland waterfront.

The New Zealand Maritime Museum 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).

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.

Collections

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

• 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
  • Geneaology Documentation - immigration shipping lists, documents
• Art collections (maritime paintings):
  • 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 for NZ coastal trade
• Puke, late 19th century steam engine tender for coastal and river logging trade
• Rapaki, 1926 floating steam crane, built in Scotland for the Lyttelton Harbour Board
• Ted Ashby, 1993 reproduction of ketch-rigged scow typical, late 19th century northern NZ. Ted Ashby has public sailings every day except Monday.

All except Rapaki can be hired from the museums for sailing excursions or functions. Rapaki can be entered and explored during normal museum visits. 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.

Extension

A NZ$8 million extension to the northern end of the museum was built in the late 2000s, to house a permanent exhibition about Sir Peter Blake, including the original NZL 32 (Black Magic). The exhibition will be called Blue Water, Black Magic. This has since been opened.

External links

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