Displays

Tūwharetoa is the name of the local Maori tribe (Iwi) who have lived in the Taupō area for centuries. Today, the people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa make up close to 30 per cent of the population of the Taupō district and are the sixth biggest Iwi in the country.

Explore Taupō's Maori history and heritage, feel the spirit of this diverse people and their dynamic living culture and learn about their relationship with ancestral lands, waters, cultural sites and tāonga (treasures).

A 15 metre waka made from one mighty Totara log is the centrepiece exhibit, representing the journey from the past to present.

Carved in Taupō between 1927 and 1928 by master carver Tene Waitere, this beautifully-crafted meeting house, known as Te Aroha o Rongoheikume (for the love of Lucy Reid) stands in the foyer, welcoming visitors to the museum.

The carvings were made for his niece Mrs Ruhi (Lucy) Rongoheikume Reid (nee Rickit) and gifted to the people of Taupō after her death.

In 1985 a Moa skeleton was presented to Taupō Museum by the Prebble family from Hawkes Bay which they found near Waikaremoana in 1969. After noticing that the Moa bones were incorrectly placed, the skeleton had some special conservational treatment and was re-articulated (pieced back together by a skeleton expert).

The moa skeleton returned to the museum in 2020, and now has a dedicated space for all to enjoy. Come and learn more about the story of how these bones were found, and how two young boys were able to piece together a whole Moa skeleton.

This unique artwork was carved on site at the museum by Taupō artist Delani Brown in 2010. 'Ruaumoko, the god of geothermal, volcanoes and earthquakes', is depicted in this 2.3 metre high carving.

The natural root structure gives this atua (god) a fantastic appearance in keeping with Ruaumoko's power and mana. He was carved from the lower trunk section of an ancient kauri tree from the far north of New Zealand. The timber was recovered from a peat swamp from where it had lain buried for thousands of years.

This wonderful carving was purchased for the Taupō Museum in August 2010 jointly by MB Century and Taupō District Council. Since 1949, MB Century has taken the leading role in the field of geothermal investigation drilling and development in the central North Island.

It is therefore entirely appropriate that MB Century embraced the development of the artwork and donated Ruaumoko the geothermal god in a display celebrating this area's fascinating geothermal features and also the use of geothermal energy.